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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Payne hopes to have similar production in the fall, especially with TCU incorporating more outside zone run schemes.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2026
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Socialists like to spend money — lots of other people’s money, of course — and Mamdani has been hampered by the fiscal stewards of Albany who, thankfully for New York City, aren’t likely to allow his more egregious schemes that would only drive away more of the city’s crucial affluent class.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That’s what puts us in the bad position of believing in conspiracies.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
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Various media watchers have criticized One America News Network for airing false stories and conspiracies as news.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The plots of these shows usually center on a murder, which occurs not so much to end a human life as to inconvenience our star, who must postpone a brunch or a media event to conceal an inconvenient corpse.—
Libby Gelman-Waxner,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2026
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National security officials have long argued that the law is vital for disrupting terrorist plots, foreign espionage, international drug trafficking and cyber intrusions.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
17 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 24 Apr. 2026.
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