marionette
marionette Lexical Profile
marionette Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A puppet controlled from above using strings or wires attached to its limbs.
"The skilled puppeteer manipulated the marionette so gracefully that it seemed to dance on its own."
A person whose actions or decisions are heavily controlled by someone else.
"Critics argued that the newly appointed mayor was merely a marionette for the powerful business tycoon."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'puppet' is a general term for any animated figure, 'marionette' strictly refers to a puppet controlled from above using strings or wires.
• Rhymes for marionette
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from French 'marionnette', literally meaning 'little Mary'. It derives from 'Marion' (a diminutive of 'Marie') combined with the suffix '-ette', originally referring to the small wooden figures of the Virgin Mary used in medieval religious plays.