Faustian describes someone who sacrifices spiritual values for worldly gain or knowledge, or someone with an insatiable hunger for mastery.
Faustian describes a person or action characterized by a willingness to sacrifice spiritual values for power, knowledge, or gain, or a deep hunger for knowledge.
| Front | Faustian \FOU-stee-uhn\ |
|---|---|
| Back | adjective 1. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Faust. 2. Sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain. 3. Characterized by spiritual dissatisfaction or torment. 4. Possessed with a hunger for knowledge or mastery. [After Faust also Faustus, a magician and alchemist in German legend who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge.] "Young artists, new galleries and old museums all seem eager to play their part in this Faustian bargain: loads of publicity, rising prices for contemporary art and good crowds for exhibitions in exchange for what a British art critic, William Feaver, calls 'headline art'." |
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