faustian bargain
/ˈfaʊstiən ˈbɑːɹɡən/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.06 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other benefits.
noun
A deal in which one focuses on present gain without considering the long-term consequences.
Example Sentences
- "The university’s abandonment of its founding value of academic freedom in exchange for the corporation’s large financial contribution was a Faustian bargain."
- "Most people nowadays, in this country at least, do not seem to be able to see anything else but money. They would cheerfully sell their souls to hell for it. Quite a number of them, according to the tencent magazines, have already made this Faustian bargain."
- "I've made my Faustian bargain—for this woman, I've sold my immortal soul …"
- "A number of characters in Middle-earth engage in some kind of Faustian bargain where they are tempted with promises of power, wealth, and status. This is how Sauron ensnares the kings of men and dwarves with the elf-crafted rings of power."
- "Rejuvenation was associated with a reinvigorated sex drive, and this connection generated an anxiety expressed in the Faustian bargain: damnation for a few extra years of carnal pleasure."
- "It has been remarked that all technology is a Faustian bargain: one obtains conveniences and sometimes luxuries, but in exchange one gets an increased potential for catastrophe."
Etymology
From the medieval legend of Faust, who made a contract with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The story first appeared in print in an anonymously written chapbook, Historia von D. Johann Fausten (1587), which purported to contain tales about the life of the German alchemist and magician Johann Georg Faust (c. 1466 or 1480 – c. 1541). It was particularly popularized by two plays, Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragicall History of D. Faustus (first published 1604) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust (published 1808 and 1832).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfaʊstiən ˈbɑːɹɡən/
- British English: /ˈfaʊstɪən ˈbɑːɡən/