Machiavellian

adjective/ˌmɑk.i.əˈvɛl.i.ən/politics

Definition

Cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics.

Etymology

From Machiavelli +‎ -an, from the name of the Italian statesman and writer Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), whose work The Prince (1532) advises that acquiring and exercising power may require unethical methods.

Synonyms

Machiavellic, Machiavellistic

In a sentence

A Machiavellian restructuring designed to consolidate power.