as in schemes
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
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Recent Examples of machinations
Amid social turmoil, three intertwining tales of disillusioned misfits collide under the machinations of an all-seeing institution.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Naturally, the kids are sensitive enough to their parents’ machinations to feel psychologically broken by them.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
So far, Senate Republicans have shown less enthusiasm for condemning Daines’ machinations.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
There are different accounting machinations used to move money around and manipulate space.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Concrete plans will be ironed out on Sunday (yes, Easter Sunday), one source with knowledge of the inner machinations tells THR.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Amid myriad double crosses and revelations, the various plot machinations converge in satisfying ways.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 3 Apr. 2026
The machinations behind the music industry often make for fascinating television, and that's the premise behind Japanese drama Dream Stage.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
For all of Erik Spoelstra’s lineup machinations, a constant from the Heat coach has been Mitchell as an every-game starter, something for the Heat that also only has been the case with Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Naturally, the kids are sensitive enough to their parents’ machinations to feel psychologically broken by them.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
So far, Senate Republicans have shown less enthusiasm for condemning Daines’ machinations.
—Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
There are different accounting machinations used to move money around and manipulate space.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Concrete plans will be ironed out on Sunday (yes, Easter Sunday), one source with knowledge of the inner machinations tells THR.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Amid myriad double crosses and revelations, the various plot machinations converge in satisfying ways.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 3 Apr. 2026
The machinations behind the music industry often make for fascinating television, and that's the premise behind Japanese drama Dream Stage.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 3 Apr. 2026
For all of Erik Spoelstra’s lineup machinations, a constant from the Heat coach has been Mitchell as an every-game starter, something for the Heat that also only has been the case with Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machinations
Noun
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With one year left and her throne on the line, Queen Mo — who is 39 — and her raven sidekick JoJo hatch increasingly desperate schemes.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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Vrabel is truly an expert in NFL defensive schemes AND finding the way to a woman's heart.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The operation primarily centered around false and often bizarre claims about grand conspiracies and government wrongdoing.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
20 Apr. 2026
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That’s what puts us in the bad position of believing in conspiracies.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Amid that frenzy, Gala Games sold the initial allotment of 4,661 NFT plots of Legacy land within days of first putting them up for public sale.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
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The roster includes several farmed by Robert Biale Vineyards, which produces seven vineyard-designate Zinfandels, a Barbera, and a Petite Sirah from Napa Valley plots planted between 1905 and the 1960s, more than half of which are home to vines dating back over 100 years.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Plus the balcony is useful for intrigues and gossiping about the people below, as seen at Lady Danbury’s ball in season one of Bridgerton.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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Roshanara became Aurangzeb’s informant, keeping him apprised of court intrigues and politics.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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