Faustian
Soul for power
Faustian describes a bargain in which someone sacrifices something essential—typically their soul, integrity, or long-term welfare—for immediate gain or power.
The term comes from Faust, a figure in German legend who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and worldly pleasures.
A Faustian bargain or Faustian deal implies the price will eventually come due: The company's growth came through a Faustian bargain with regulators.
Formal agreement between parties
- devilEvil supernatural entity
- dealAgreement or distribution
- soulInnermost animating essence
- MephistophelesSoul-bargaining demon
compact · contract · exchange · trade · sacrifice · sellout · compromise · price
Ruinous excessive confidence
- overreachingExceeding proper limits
- aspirationStrong desire for achievement
- strivingEarnest sustained endeavor
- pursuitAct of chasing something
quest · vaulting · Icarus · transgression · excess · presumption · arrogance · recklessness
Internal moral sense
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- temptationUrge toward the unwise
moral compromise · sin · transgression · forbidden · values · integrity · principles · choice
Eternal punishment decree
- downfallSudden loss of power
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
- reckoningSettlement of accounts
doom · perdition · price · forfeit · destruction · catastrophe · undoing · fate
pact
Formal agreement between parties
Mephistopheles · compact · contract · exchange · trade · sacrifice · sellout · compromise · price · cost
hubris
Ruinous excessive confidence
- overreachingExceeding proper limits
- aspirationStrong desire for achievement
- strivingEarnest sustained endeavor
pursuit · quest · vaulting · Icarus · transgression · excess · presumption · arrogance · recklessness · defiance
conscience
Internal moral sense
- ethicsStudy of right conduct
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- guiltMoral self-reproach
moral compromise · temptation · sin · transgression · forbidden · values · integrity · principles · choice · dilemma
damnation
Eternal punishment decree
- downfallSudden loss of power
- nemesisPersistent source of ruin
- retributionPunishment for wrongdoing
reckoning · doom · perdition · price · forfeit · destruction · catastrophe · undoing · fate · curse
- AllusionsAchilles heel, Pandora's box, Trojan horse, forbidden fruit, Midas touch
- GoetheMephistopheles, Gretchen, Mephisto, Weimar, Wagner
Faustianredemptive
Restoring worth or virtue
virtuous · Christlike · self-sacrificing · altruistic · noble
Faustianprudent
Exercising sound judgment
wise · circumspect · measured · judicious · temperate
Faustianincorruptible
Impossible to morally compromise
uncorrupted · unbowed · principled · untempted · steadfast
- Faustian bargainsSacrificing principles for power
- Faustian pactDamnation exchanged for worldly gain