puppetmaster
Controls the marionettes
A puppetmaster is someone who controls puppets in a performance.
More often, the word appears figuratively for someone who manipulates people or events from behind the scenes: The campaign manager was the real puppetmaster behind the candidate's rise.
The term implies hidden influence—the puppetmaster pulls strings while others appear to act independently.
Crafty, deceitful planner
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
- manipulatorOne who controls cunningly
wire-puller · shadowy · underhanded · devious · treacherous · deceitful · sinister · nefarious
Thin flexible lines
- orchestrateArrange complex undertakings
- manipulateControl through clever influence
- mastermindScheme's chief planner
- choreographCompose movement sequences
maneuver · command · direct · oversee · coordinate · pull strings · behind-the-scenes · handler
Scheme's chief planner
- tacticianSkilled planner of action
- plannerAgenda for scheduling
- architectBuilding design professional
- grand designComprehensive underlying plan
long game · foresight · calculated · outmaneuver · gambit · endgame · moves · countermove
Rock back and forth
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- cloutInformal power or punch
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
power broker · persuasion · coercion · domineer · subjugate · control freak · overlord · tyrant
schemer
Crafty, deceitful planner
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- connivingSecretly planning wrongdoing
manipulator · wire-puller · shadowy · underhanded · devious · treacherous · deceitful · sinister · nefarious · villainous
strings
Thin flexible lines
- orchestrateArrange complex undertakings
- manipulateControl through clever influence
- mastermindScheme's chief planner
choreograph · maneuver · command · direct · oversee · coordinate · pull strings · behind-the-scenes · handler · operator
mastermind
Scheme's chief planner
grand design · long game · foresight · calculated · outmaneuver · gambit · endgame · moves · countermove · positioning
sway
Rock back and forth
- leverageBorrowed capital for amplified returns
- cloutInformal power or punch
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
authority · power broker · persuasion · coercion · domineer · subjugate · control freak · overlord · tyrant · autocrat
puppetmasterpuppet
Controlled performing figure
marionette · pawn · tool · minion · stooge
puppetmasterpuppet
Controlled performing figure
figurehead · front man · mouthpiece · spokesperson · talking head
master, puppet, mastery, puppets, puppetry, marionette, puppeteer, hand puppet, puppeteering