marionette

[ mar-ee-uh-net ]

noun

1. a puppet manipulated from above by strings attached to its jointed limbs.

marionette

/ ˌmærɪəˈnɛt /

noun

1. an articulated puppet or doll whose jointed limbs are moved by strings

Word History and Origins

Origin of marionette¹

1610–20; < French marionnette, equivalent to Marion (diminutive of Marie Mary) + -ette -ette

Word History and Origins

Origin of marionette¹

C17: from French, from Marion, diminutive of Marie Mary + -ette

Example Sentences

His Catholic zealotry prefigures present-day Catholic ideologues like Patrick Deneen and Leonard Leo, not to mention their political marionettes Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.

From Salon

It can also reduce the appearance of pores and minimize wrinkles like marionette lines, which go from the nose to the mouth.

From Los Angeles Times

Decked out like a marionette clown with sexual proclivities that refuse to be hemmed in by official categories, he resembles a Howdy Doody figure reconceived for a wild photo spread in Vogue Hommes.

From Los Angeles Times

And in Burbank, a group of kids ages 9 to 14 known as the Zuppeteers is putting on marionette shows with “no entrance fee and no outside stressors,” according to its Instagram page.

From Los Angeles Times

Men who couldn’t, or worse, didn’t want to, were portrayed as marionettes tied to and practically strangled by their mothers’ apron strings.

From New York Times