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
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Mafia, the Cuban government, the military-industrial complex, a shady cabal of wealthy gay swingers, and even President Lyndon B. Johnson are all implicated by the director as co-conspirators in the Kennedy assassination.—Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 26 June 2024 Republican politicians have embraced Trump’s aggrieved view of himself as victim, persecuted by President Biden and a Democratic cabal, that’s entirely divorced from the past.—Steven P. Grossman, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2024 Consider the path taken by followers of QAnon, an elaborate far-right conspiracy theory that posits the existence of a global pedophilia cabal.—Francis Fukuyama, Foreign Affairs, 24 Nov. 2020 By creating a universe for the John Wick story — a secret cabal of hit men united by a string of special hotels and an international group known as the High Table — Stahelski has made his idea pay dividends over the course of a four-film franchise.—Christina Newland, Vulture, 6 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for cabal
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cabal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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