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

Having served as Ambassador to Washington D.C., Beijing, Singapore, and the Czech republic, Jaishankar enjoys a huge comparative advantage over his global peers, because of his familiarity with the machine and machinations of modern diplomacy. —Vasuki Shastry, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025

Of course, all machinations are born of a cursed monkey toy that proves impossible to get rid of, whether hacked to pieces or thrown down a well. —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 22 Feb. 2025

Past administrations saw public benefit in having regulators that could operate in the long-term interests of the country without the daily machinations of politics. —Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025

New York lawyer Emil Bove, who was one of President Trump’s criminal defense attorneys and is now principal associate deputy attorney general, is handing out the orders, but Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump himself are not unaware of the terrible machinations. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for machination

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation