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as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in complicity
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose a conspiracy among the leading manufacturers to fix prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun conspiracy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conspiracy are cabal, intrigue, machination, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When would cabal be a good substitute for conspiracy?

The synonyms cabal and conspiracy are sometimes interchangeable, but cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

When might intrigue be a better fit than conspiracy?

While the synonyms intrigue and conspiracy are close in meaning, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

In what contexts can machination take the place of conspiracy?

In some situations, the words machination and conspiracy are roughly equivalent. However, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

When is it sensible to use plot instead of conspiracy?

While in some cases nearly identical to conspiracy, plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of conspiracy Paul Keenan, 54, pleaded guilty in Rhode Island federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in at least 10 states, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said in a news release. Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2025 Madigan, a Southwest Side Democrat, was convicted earlier this month of bribery conspiracy and other corruption charges after a four-month trial. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025 As doctors tried to treat her, Kate’s parents openly discussed their suspicions that a conspiracy was forming around them – and that medical staff couldn’t be trusted. Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025 Freddy Artemio Guerrero Soto, 29, a national of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conspiracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracy
Noun
  • Formed in the early ’90s by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous in Memphis, Three 6 Mafia went on to become one of the most influential rap groups in the genre’s history.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Engineering the Startup Mafia: Putting DraperU’s Alumni Network to Work The idea of a startup mafia is not new to Silicon Valley.
    Daniel Fusch, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Allegations of government complicity have persisted for decades, with civil rights leaders, investigative authors and Ray's attorneys citing the FBI, Memphis police, and Missouri State Penitentiary — from which Ray escaped a year before the killing — as potential conspirators.
    Marc Caputo, Axios, 15 Feb. 2025
  • The public, having been accused of complicity, took its revenge.
    Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury came after a yearslong federal investigation and alleged Madigan participated in an array of bribery and extortion schemes from 2011 to 2019 aimed at using the power of his office for personal gain.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
  • On Friday, Reardon tossed the case against Mario Juarez, the longtime political operative and twice-failed Oakland City Council candidate who claimed to have been the target of an extortion scheme by Price.
    Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • While city officials have downplayed characterizations by President Donald Trump and others that the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, had taken over the city, Chamberlain did assert Wednesday that its members controlled several parts of the complex.
    Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, The Denver Post, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Image The Trump administration has generally described the men sent to the base as including violent gang members being held for deportation, but has provided no proof.
    Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Such conduct includes hard core collusion, mergers that reduce competitive vigor, and maintenance of monopolies through the inefficient exclusion or imposition of costs on competitors.
    Alden Abbott, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Multiple musical numbers denounce the collusion between authorities and criminals.
    Alejandra Marquez Guajardo, The Conversation, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • How did you guys change the plot to accommodate the departure of one of the show’s stars?
    Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
  • In a world that seems more dangerous, with nefarious foreign actors, states, terrorists, plots and wars occurring in different regions of the world, DSS personnel are critical to maintaining U.S. national security presence and keeping U.S. embassies and American citizens safe.
    Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • More than a year’s worth of internal communications from one of the world’s most active ransomware syndicates have been published online in a leak that exposes tactics, trade secrets, and internal rifts of its members.
    Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2025
  • In 1960s and 70s Hawaii, this formidable and charismatic mob boss rises to build the islands’ most powerful criminal empire, waging a brutal war against mainland corporations and rival syndicates while fighting to preserve his ancestral land.
    Justin Kroll, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.
    Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Of course, this was done with the connivance of politicians.
    Vera Bergengruen/Buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Conspiracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracy. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.

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