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

Drawing on thousands of pages of documents, emails, and text messages that have never before been seen on television, this limited series exposes the private machinations of a family torn apart by power, politics, and a desperate desire for their father’s love. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026

Though instead of relying on the scandalous machinations of satire, as the Sundance titles did, this one pivots to and later works in service of the meditative allure of grief and memory drama. —Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 17 Feb. 2026

There are times, though, when the filmmaker makes his machinations too obvious, as with the too-cute cross-cutting illustrating how the characters are all caught in the same web. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026

With such broad big-brand experience, Mulier may be well equipped to navigate the machinations of Versace and the Prada Group. —Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2026

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