SVENGALI

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

• SVENGALI (noun)
  The noun SVENGALI has 2 senses:

1. someone (usually maleficent) who tries to persuade or force another person to do his bidding

2. the musician in a novel by George du Maurier who controls Trilby's singing hypnotically

  Familiarity information: SVENGALI used as a noun is rare.

• SVENGALI (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone (usually maleficent) who tries to persuade or force another person to do his bidding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("Svengali" is a kind of...):

inducer; persuader (someone who tries to persuade or induce or lead on)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The musician in a novel by George du Maurier who controls Trilby's singing hypnotically

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Instance hypernyms:

character; fictional character; fictitious character (an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story))