Synonyms of machination

machination

noun

ˌma-kə-ˈnā-shən 

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

• conspiracy
• scheme
• plot
• intrigue
• strategy
• design
• subterfuge
• manipulation
• trickery
• stratagem
• maneuver
• cabal
• counterplot
• contrivance
• collusion
• racket
• confederacy
• frame-up
• system
• connivance
• complicity
• conniving
• dodge
• program
• counterconspiracy
• cover-up
• artifice
• draft
• ground plan
• gimmick
• trick
• conspiration
• ring
• game

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of machination

But a full, public airing threatened to reveal the C.I.A.’s machinations and the F.B.I.’s incompetence. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

But its success will depend entirely on follow-through — and worryingly, on the moods and machinations of the two men who lead these countries. —Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 13 May 2025

She's hauled into congressional hearings by her critics – including Bucky Barnes (Stan), former Winter Soldier and current congressman from Brooklyn – for human experimentation and other morally dubious machinations. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

Alongside his riveting dispatches on Moscow’s missile blitzes on Ukraine - and threats of nuclear attacks on any Western ally coming to its aid - Dickinson has also been charting Putin’s musings and machinations on recreating the Russian Empire. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025