MASTERMINDS Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

masterminds 1 of 2

noun

plural of mastermind

as in architects

a person who designs and guides a plan or undertaking the real mastermind behind the embezzlement scheme

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masterminds

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of mastermind

as in engineers

to plan out usually with subtle skill or care he was charged with masterminding a plan to redecorate the suite of offices without seriously disrupting business operations

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of masterminds

Noun

Among them is wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, one of the masterminds behind the attack on Pearl Harbor. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Authorities were seeking both the assassins and masterminds of the crime, according to the president. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 Peer groups, masterminds, advisory relationships built around honest reporting—these create a form of social commitment that internal motivation alone does not sustain. — Skye Blanks, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Both Flores and new Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley are defensive masterminds, so hopefully this will be a quite the chess match. — Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 There’s a lot of genius masterminds working on that right now for season two, and I have not been told one way or another. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are both masterminds in their own right for branding and marketing. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 4 July 2026 The inflatable work includes a sound element created by Thomas Bangalter, one of the two masterminds of the French electronic-music duo Daft Punk, and had been scheduled to be on view from June 6 through June 28. — Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026 The Bungalow Kitchen comes from masterminds Michael Mina and Brent Bolthouse. — Nora Heston Tarte, Mercury News, 18 May 2026

Verb

Those meetings included Bolton, Galliano and Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor who masterminds the Met Gala every year. — ABC News, 31 July 2026 The same studio that produced the Godzilla franchise, Toho, masterminds one of the most horrifying and disturbingly humorous psychedelic films to date. — Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminds

Noun

After years of planning and wrangling, after more than $10 million spent on engineers, and lawyers, and architects; after all of the rumors, and headlines, and finger-pointing, the big presentation was ready to be made.

— Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Now the receipts are in, showing striking progress in all three cases, with each already well on their way to cementing their reputations as the architects of some of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds of our era.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of architects

Verb

When Gilla Band hit the road, their front-of-house guy drives, Fox also engineers, Kiely sells merch, and Faulkner runs tech.

— Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
Our enterprising Gravedigger, a true woman of science, engineers a lizard elixir and regenerates the finger into a long tentacle that eventually demands a body.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026

Definition of engineers

Verb

But the Green Book plots Ecobalyse points, PEF micropoints and Higg scores together despite their different units and methodologies.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
This chart from Henry Allen at Deutsche Bank plots the rate of inflation at the beginning of each historical period when the Fed began raising rates, against the number of basis points in that rate-raising cycle.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of plots

Verb

The 23-foot Winnebago EKKO moves awkwardly, changing direction every few seconds as Bernert carefully maneuvers it into position.

— Sarah Silbiger, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Crystal’s fluid staging, full of agile and vibrant design choices, smoothly maneuvers the action.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026

Definition of maneuvers

Verb

In an interview with the Shade Room last year, Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, claimed McDowell pushed the singer into performing and manipulates her.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
An anxiety ring is a piece of jewelry with a spinning band, bead or textured surface that the wearer manipulates with their fingers as a discreet grounding tool.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulates

Verb

And the concierge arranges virtually anything your heart desires, whether that's a private bike tour around the beaches of the Kennebunks, a hot air balloon ride, a cooking class, or a private dinner in the restaurant's wine cellar.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
The list of names for storms is prepared six years in advance of the current hurricane season by the World Meteorological Organization, which arranges them alphabetically.

— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026