Refine this word faster
Kingmaker
Definitions
- 1 Someone who has strong influence over the choice of a leader.
"Alain, who is proud of choosing the extreme right but still didn't want his real name printed, is one of the 6.4 million [Marine] Le Pen voters who are now the kingmakers in deciding who becomes the next president of France. If the Socialist François Hollande topped the poll, beating the rightwing president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and gaining momentum for returning the left to the presidency for the first time in a generation, it is Le Pen whose high showing and third place now holds the election in the balance."
- 2 an important person who can bring leaders to power through the exercise of political influence wordnet
- 3 A player who is unable to win but powerful enough to decide which of the other viable players will eventually win. broadly
Etymology
From king + maker, originally used in the 16th century in “Warwick the Kingmaker”, an epithet of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428–1471), a key figure in the Wars of the Roses whose actions led to King Henry VI being deposed in 1461 and Edward IV appointed in his place, then Edward IV being replaced by Henry VI again in 1470.
See also for "kingmaker"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: kingmaker