Cabal has been associated with a group of five ministers in the government of England's King Charles II. The initial letters of the names or titles of those men (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale) spelled cabal, and they have been collectively dubbed as the "Cabal Cabinet" or "Cabal Ministry." But these five names are not the source of the word cabal, which was in use decades before Charles II ascended the throne. The term traces back to cabbala, the Medieval Latin name for the Kabbalah, a traditional system of esoteric Jewish mysticism. Latin borrowed Cabbala from the Hebrew qabbālāh, meaning "received or traditional lore."
plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.
an assassination plot
intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.
backstairs intrigue
machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.
the machinations of a party boss
conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.
a conspiracy to fix prices
cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.
a cabal among powerful senators
Examples of cabal in a Sentence
Noun
a cabal plotting to overthrow the government
a conspiracy theory about the existence of an international cabal devoted to world domination
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Noun
What To Know Several of Russia's influential cabal of military bloggers, often used as indicators of battlefield changes in lieu of official statements from Moscow, reported advances by the Kremlin's troops around Sudzha on Tuesday.—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 The Solana network has periodic shutdowns, and XRP is controlled by a cabal of insiders.—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025 In 2023, however, a cabal of angry gamers was convinced otherwise.—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2025 Below him, two fighters are trading flying kicks in the ring as series creator Mike White discusses camera angles with his cabal of producers.—Charlie Campbell / Phuket, TIME, 15 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cabal
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
French cabale cabala, intrigue, cabal, from Medieval Latin cabbala cabala, from Late Hebrew qabbālāh, literally, received (lore)
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