Thesaurus results for MACHINATION

Q: How does the noun 'machination' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of machination are cabal , conspiracy , intrigue , and plot . While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means. // the machinations of a party boss

Q: Where would 'cabal' be a reasonable alternative to 'machination'?

Although the words cabal and machination have much in common, cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence. // a cabal among powerful senators

Q: In what contexts can 'conspiracy' take the place of 'machination'?

While the synonyms conspiracy and machination are close in meaning, conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery. // a conspiracy to fix prices

Q: When might 'intrigue' be a better fit than 'machination'?

While in some cases nearly identical to machination , intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity. // backstairs intrigue

Q: When is 'plot' a more appropriate choice than 'machination'?

The words plot and machination can be used in similar contexts, but plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme. // an assassination plot

machination

noun

ˌma-kə-ˈnā-shən

Definition of machination next

as in conspiracy

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun machination differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of machination are cabal, conspiracy, intrigue, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

Where would cabal be a reasonable alternative to machination?

Although the words cabal and machination have much in common, cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

In what contexts can conspiracy take the place of machination?

While the synonyms conspiracy and machination are close in meaning, conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When might intrigue be a better fit than machination?

While in some cases nearly identical to machination, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

When is plot a more appropriate choice than machination?

The words plot and machination can be used in similar contexts, but plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

Examples Sentences

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Recent Examples of machination Neither the stage production nor the musical can do much with the melodramatic Madame Morrible, the headmistress at Shiz who becomes a key player in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz’s fascist machinations. —

Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024 Both the book and the Broadway version ultimately span years of plot machinations, but the Wicked film has chopped the story in half to handle its heft; Part 2 is set to arrive in theaters next year. —

Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 27 Nov. 2024 Also starring Ken Leung, Sagar Radia and Sarah Parish, Industry charts the goings-on at fictional bank Pierpoint, with a focus on the lives and Machiavellian machinations of Yasmin, Myha’la’s Harper Stern and Lawtey’s Robert Spearing. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2024 The primary point is not to pull the proverbial wool over one’s eyes on the problems with Amazon’s machinations. —

Steven Aquino, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for machination

Recent Examples of Synonyms for machination

Noun

The Hawaiian crime boss was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, murder, and 11 other felony charges on July 18, a July 24 Justice Department press release said.

Pilar Arias, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2024
In the aftermath, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned Assad’s fall as a foreign-orchestrated conspiracy, a framing that reflects Tehran’s efforts to preserve its image as a resilient regional power.

Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2024