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
• scheme
• plot

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

In Greenberg’s novel, Cherry and Hero are already secret lovers who conspire to thwart the menfolk’s machinations. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

The machinations violated the NBA’s salary cap rules. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Montas’ trip to the IL simplifies some roster machinations for this year’s Mets, but losing him as even an option for 2026 or modest eat-most-of-the-money trade bait this winter would hurt. —Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025

His machinations were getting no coverage to speak of, but even at that early stage, Vrabel — Volin noted — was purging the Patriots roster of players connected to his predecessors, one-year head coach Jerod Mayo and before that, legendary head coach Bill Belichick. —Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 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