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
Humankind doesn’t need to fully grasp the inner machinations.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Fortunately, the plot machinations demand that Tova sprain her ankle early in the film, which gives the otherwise ageless Field the excuse to limp or shuffle around in a walking boot.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2026
Changing the way people move The machinations that go into trying to plan simultaneous transactions can be mind-boggling.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Thanks to the machinations of In the City confessional filming, Lindsay was on a coach in front of a green screen, and Kyle was in the building.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Democrats have questioned whether Vance’s role would bring political machinations into decisions prosecutors and investigators make about what cases to pursue.
—Andrew Graham
may 27, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
But the impression throughout is of a complex work of fiction distilled down to broad-strokes plot machinations, to the exclusion of meaningful character insight.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Those intentions prove to be relatively short-lived, as personal tragedy and political machinations eventually drove both men down their familiar old paths.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Amid social turmoil, three intertwining tales of disillusioned misfits collide under the machinations of an all-seeing institution.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Fortunately, the plot machinations demand that Tova sprain her ankle early in the film, which gives the otherwise ageless Field the excuse to limp or shuffle around in a walking boot.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2026
Changing the way people move The machinations that go into trying to plan simultaneous transactions can be mind-boggling.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Thanks to the machinations of In the City confessional filming, Lindsay was on a coach in front of a green screen, and Kyle was in the building.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 May 2026
Democrats have questioned whether Vance’s role would bring political machinations into decisions prosecutors and investigators make about what cases to pursue.
—Andrew Graham
may 27, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2026
But the impression throughout is of a complex work of fiction distilled down to broad-strokes plot machinations, to the exclusion of meaningful character insight.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
Those intentions prove to be relatively short-lived, as personal tragedy and political machinations eventually drove both men down their familiar old paths.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Amid social turmoil, three intertwining tales of disillusioned misfits collide under the machinations of an all-seeing institution.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machinations
Noun
-
Shakespeare’s comedies especially understand the joy of watching people get trapped in schemes and plots well beyond their control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
State regulators have suspended hundreds of hospice licenses amid allegations of fraudulent billing and phantom patient schemes.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The 1940 novel Darkness at Noon is a fictionalized but highly realistic account of a Soviet official who is arrested under Stalin, is charged with wild anti-Soviet conspiracies, and ultimately chooses to give a public confession.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
The former clerk had become the face of election conspiracies and attempts to undermine voting systems, Cutter said.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Inside, the museum boasts a planetarium, giant-screen theater, exhibition zones, and landscaped outdoor teaching plots organized around regional species and observable plant phenomena.—
Bridget Borgobello
May 30,
New Atlas,
30 May 2026
-
The main dining rooms look onto greenery and kitchen plots, and menus weave herbs, flowers and produce from the grounds together with ingredients from regional farms.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Netflix announced a second melodrama last December, about the secrets and intrigues of an elite Rio de Janeiro family, created in partnership with Amaia Produções and Conspiração, with general direction by Mauro Mendonça Filho.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
The rich textures and thick ambiance of The Eyes of Others are pure high modernist 1960s Italian cinema, but De Sica unfurls the film’s winding intrigues with a contemporary sense of suspense, carnality, and visual boldness.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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