machination

noun

mach·​i·​na·​tion ˌma-kə-ˈnā-shən 

ˌma-shə-

1

: an act of machinating

2

: a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end

backstage machinations … that have dominated the film industry

—Peter Bogdanovich

Synonyms

• conspiracy
• design
• intrigue
• plot
• scheme

Choose the Right Synonym for machination

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 machination in a Sentence

incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed

Recent Examples on the Web

The visual language of The Substance is rendered in the machinations of gleaming advertisements meant to trade upon the fears embedded in women by a culture that argues death is preferable to aging. —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025

Her biggest swings are aimed at Spotify’s recommendation framework: the back-end machinations that silently power the playlists available to its 600 million users. —Brad Shoup, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025

But to ensure its decline, Aoun and Salam will need to cut it off from funds over the next year and fight back against its political machinations. —Hanin Ghaddar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2025

This reality means America cannot afford to ignore Chinese machinations in the region. —Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1