as in negotiated
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
he was charged with masterminding a plan to redecorate the suite of offices without seriously disrupting business operations
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Recent Examples of masterminded
Prosecutors said the ringleader was recruited online for a plot masterminded by Russia’s intelligence services.
—
ABC News,
16 June 2026
The insurance company has alleged that a rogue AI robot masterminded Dela Torre’s campaign to improperly challenge her settlement agreement, generating a flurry of baseless and abusive filings that cost $300,000 to contest.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
Famous architect John Nash (who was also behind the design of Buckingham Palace) masterminded the original estate as a classical storied mansion.
—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
Federal prosecutors said her signatures cost the federal programs more than six million dollars; the entire scheme, masterminded by a man in his late-20s named Steve Richardson, cost taxpayers $11 million.
—
Julia Coin
june 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Then everyone is shocked to discover that Ray and Shorty have actually masterminded it all.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
At least six people carried out the plot alllegedly masterminded by the 27-year-old Molina, but none of them have been apprehended, authorities said.
—
CBS News,
3 June 2026
At the time Chhabria made his finding in 2024, Ervin had been awaiting execution in the November 1986 killing of Carlene McDonald, who was slain in an alleged murder-for-hire plot believed by prosecutors to be masterminded by the woman’s ex-husband.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
The manager who masterminded the FA Cup win last season and the player who scored the winning goal in the UEFA Conference League final took a moment to appreciate each other and let reality sink in.
—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
ABC News,
16 June 2026
The insurance company has alleged that a rogue AI robot masterminded Dela Torre’s campaign to improperly challenge her settlement agreement, generating a flurry of baseless and abusive filings that cost $300,000 to contest.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2026
Famous architect John Nash (who was also behind the design of Buckingham Palace) masterminded the original estate as a classical storied mansion.
—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
Federal prosecutors said her signatures cost the federal programs more than six million dollars; the entire scheme, masterminded by a man in his late-20s named Steve Richardson, cost taxpayers $11 million.
—
Julia Coin
june 9,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Then everyone is shocked to discover that Ray and Shorty have actually masterminded it all.
—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
At least six people carried out the plot alllegedly masterminded by the 27-year-old Molina, but none of them have been apprehended, authorities said.
—
CBS News,
3 June 2026
At the time Chhabria made his finding in 2024, Ervin had been awaiting execution in the November 1986 killing of Carlene McDonald, who was slain in an alleged murder-for-hire plot believed by prosecutors to be masterminded by the woman’s ex-husband.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
The manager who masterminded the FA Cup win last season and the player who scored the winning goal in the UEFA Conference League final took a moment to appreciate each other and let reality sink in.
—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterminded
Verb
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As officials negotiated over how to permanently end the war in Iran, a separate plan emerged to break the shipping bottleneck through the Strait of Hormuz.
-
Some, like Santa Clarita, have come to the table and already negotiated a settlement.
Verb
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Lagree’s Megaformer, introduced in the early 2000s, uses two sliding platforms and is engineered for higher-intensity work that builds muscular endurance.
-
Ys was co-produced by orchestral pop trailblazer Van Dyke Parks and engineered by punk icon Steve Albini, the only time those two prolific legends worked on the same album.
Verb
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The Live Nation website arranged on a laptop in New York, US, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
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As visitors like Fulkerson settled into folding chairs arranged along the same grassy knoll where John Brown and his followers fought their way into the red-brick armory, Kerwin rose, stepped to the microphone and looked out at the crowd gathered before her.
Verb
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The fair's conferences were held at the Art Institute, and on the current site of La Rabida Hospital was a recreation of the La Rabida convent in Spain, where Columbus plotted his voyages.
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It was plotted, police said, because Arnold suspected that two of the three men were responsible for stealing his property.
Verb
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In April 2026, the New England Journal of Medicine retracted a paper after discovering that a clinical image had been manipulated with AI.
-
Predictive markets, like sports betting, can be manipulated.
Cite this Entry
“Masterminded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterminded. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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