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as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in complicity
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose a conspiracy among the leading manufacturers to fix prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun conspiracy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conspiracy are cabal, intrigue, machination, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When would cabal be a good substitute for conspiracy?

The synonyms cabal and conspiracy are sometimes interchangeable, but cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

When might intrigue be a better fit than conspiracy?

While the synonyms intrigue and conspiracy are close in meaning, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

In what contexts can machination take the place of conspiracy?

In some situations, the words machination and conspiracy are roughly equivalent. However, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

When is it sensible to use plot instead of conspiracy?

While in some cases nearly identical to conspiracy, plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conspiracy Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of all of them on his first day back in the White House, releasing from prison people convicted of seditious conspiracy and violent assaults on police. Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025 However, Diddy is charged with racketeering conspiracy, which is even easier for the government to prove. Adam Reiss, NBC news, 25 June 2025 Erik Fleming Erik Fleming, a TV director and former acquaintance of Perry's from Los Angeles' Hawthorne neighborhood, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death, per the press release. Jordana Comiter, People.com, 17 June 2025 Former treatment center director Erik Fleming, who was involved in the fatal dose, entered a guilty plea in August to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for conspiracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracy
Noun
  • Snuffy is the nickname of Manuel Quintero, alleged by Los Angeles County prosecutors to be a member of the Mexican Mafia, a group of about 140 men who rule over Southern California’s Latino street gangs.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
  • Cockney con man Michael Caine, recently released from the clink, puts together a truly ludicrous heist to steal $4 million in Mafia gold bullion from the middle of Turin using Mini Coopers.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • Despite all the indignities to which it’s been subjected, the show closes with its most unsparing season yet, an indictment of societies where money trumps humanity that roots out all forms of complicity—especially our own.
    Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
  • This week, a dozen human rights and legal groups said that any country backing GHF could potentially be liable for complicity in war crimes.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • Galeotti said these schemes can increase the national deficit and threaten the long-term viability of health care for seniors, individuals with disabilities and other citizens who need these programs.
    Jenna Sundel Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • And most recycling schemes are still small-scale, unable to keep up with the sheer volume of cheap and short-use clothing flowing through the system.
    Zoe Bayliss Wong, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • In the ’90s, the Clinton administration began deporting Salvadoran immigrants convicted of crimes in the U.S. back to their homeland, a move that helped propel the rise of powerful gangs in a country that was institutionally weak after years of war.
    Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 30 June 2025
  • Martinez Estrella remained convicted of second-degree murder, conspiracy and gang assault.
    John Annese, New York Daily News, 29 June 2025
Noun
  • Funny enough, those negotiations are part of a fascinating document just published this week by Pablo Torre regarding collusion charges levied against the NFL by the NFL Players Association.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 26 June 2025
  • On the second factor, the Arbitrator found that the clubs were not aware that they were being invited to participate in collusion.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • The family at the heart of the story run a tourism business allowing Cappadocia to feature in a way that naturally chimes with the narrative, but the connection between landscape and plot runs far deeper, series director Murat Saraçoğlu says.
    Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 1 July 2025
  • The number of politically motivated attacks and plots against government agents in just the past five years is three times higher than those in the previous 25 years combined, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • Struggling Gatekeepers: In the face of some $44 billion a year in pig-butchering scams conducted by Asian crime syndicates, U.S. banks have failed to prevent mass scale money laundering.
    Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025
  • Thailand earlier this year implemented measures to crack down on online scam operations in neighboring Myanmar, severing electricity, internet and gas supplies to border towns where the syndicates were based.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • In addition, senior executives could be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect.
    Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
  • The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.
    Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Conspiracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracy. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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