as in conspiracy
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 machination
As the film tracks Clark Kent navigating a public increasingly skeptical of Superman's unchecked strength — while Lex Luthor’s machinations test the limits of truth, tech, and influence — Gathegi’s Mister Terrific operates in the grey area where ethics meet engineering.
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Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 30 Dec. 2025
In real life, are those machinations in play?
—William Earl, Variety, 22 Dec. 2025
The machinations of American bureaucracy were too slow to keep up.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
For all its machinations, the track works.
—Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machination
Noun
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In the show, Lower, 40, plays Helly Riggs/Helena Eagan, who tries to uncover the company's web of conspiracies with her coworkers.—
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In their charging documents, prosecutors allege Maduro, his wife and his son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, engaged in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and partnered with cartels designated as terrorist groups.—
Noun
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Sammis runs a pro-style scheme that prioritizes a strong run game and being efficient with the passing attack.—
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Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff, pleaded not guilty in November in a scheme to enrich her friend Sean McCluskie, a longtime deputy to former Attorney General Xavier Becerra, using money funneled from one of Becerra’s dormant campaign accounts.—
Noun
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The two plots of land up for rezoning are near Anglin Circle and Enon Avenue.—
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People are also pointing out a few plot points that aren’t resolved.—
Cite this Entry
“Machination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machination. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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