define svengali
Svengali (/svÉÅËÉ¡ÉËli/) is a fictional character in George du Maurier 's 1895 novel Trilby.Svengali is a Jew of Eastern European origins, who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young English girl, and makes her into a famous singer.The word  svengali  has come to refer to a person who, with evil intent, dominates, manipulates and controls a creative person such as a singer or actor.nable to perform without Svengali's help, Trilby becomes entranced. The novel is less a discussion of the relationship between Svengali and Trilby than an evocation of  Bohemian  Paris during the 1850s.