mastermind
- 01 C2 Proficiency
someone who is extremely intelligent or highly skilled in a specific area.
a person possessing extraordinary intellectual capability or superior technical skill.
Simple“The young chess player was described as a mathematical mastermind.”
In context“The university sought a creative mastermind to lead the new department of theoretical physics.”
UsageUsually followed by 'behind' or 'of' when linked to a specific field.
Teacher's tipThis sense is less common in everyday speech than the 'planner' sense; it is often used in journalism to praise high achievers.
“A senior adviser to many of Latin America’s new wave of far-right leaders has been arrested for allegedly masterminding the attempted murder of his girlfriend.”
“In the opening day of Tupac Shakur's murder trial, prosecutors painted former gang leader Duane "Keffe D" Davis as someone seeking revenge before masterminding the drive-by shooting that killed the iconic rapper.”
From master + mind.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.