Rasputinesque

English

Etymology

From Rasputin +‎ -esque.

Adjective

Rasputinesque (comparative more Rasputinesque, superlative most Rasputinesque)

1. Reminiscent of Rasputin (1869–1916), Russian mystic perceived as having influenced the latter days of the Russian Nicholas II and family.
   • 1994 March 17, Alex Ross, “Review/Music; New Singers in 'Barber'”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     The music teacher came out sounding somewhat Rasputinesque, but Mr. Ghiaurov tempered his glowering bass with a few adroit comic touches.

   • 2000 June 18, Michael Wines, “TV's Impious Puppets: On Kremlin's Hit List?”, in The New York Times‎^[2]:

     The dolls -- a jug-eared, sheep-eyed President Vladimir V. Putin; his Rasputinesque staff chief, Aleksandr Voloshin; dead-on renditions of balding Communists, woolly-headed right-wingers and other famous rogues -- are the cast of "Kukly," which wrapped up its weekly filming late Thursday on a ramshackle sound stage near the Moscow River.