cabal

1 of 2

noun

ca·bal kə-ˈbäl

-ˈbal

Synonyms of cabal next

: the contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government)

also : a group engaged in such schemes

: club, group

a cabal of artists

cabal

2 of 2

verb

caballed; caballing

intransitive verb

: to unite in or form a cabal

Did you know?

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."

Choose the Right Synonym for cabal

plot, intrigue, machination, conspiracy, cabal mean a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end.

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Rumor suggests there was friction when a notorious scam artist and his cabal of armed ex-combatants showed up in Tonu almost two decades ago. —

Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024 Still, his most convincing point is that Agatha’s plan to physically outrun an almighty cabal of witches without any powers of her own is the kind of stupid move that usually ends up in a stupid death. —

Caroline Framke, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2024 And in both countries, conspiracy theories—notably QAnon, the now infamous movement that imagines Trump to be rescuing the world from a secret cabal of pedophiles—and the vilification of mainstream media and political elites played an extraordinary role in stoking the violence. —

Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2021 It was supposed to be decentralized and anti-authoritarian, but a tiny cabal of mining pools came to dominate network activity, and access to the cryptocurrency more or less depends on exchanges that have proved exceedingly vulnerable to both fraud and regulation. —

Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cabal