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 and power plays that have dominated the film industry …

—Peter Bogdanovich

Synonyms of machination

• 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

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

Kurtis David Harder’s last two films are go-in-blind thrill rides that follow the machinations of CW (Cassandra Naud), a serial killer with a real disdain for the professionally online. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025

But with the Broncos on the hunt for the top seed in the AFC and a first-round playoff bye, this game in Las Vegas suddenly carries significant weight, on the basis of some rather complicated seeding machinations. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 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