as in planning
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in calculating
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in scheming
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plotting
Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The season drew heavy criticism for its glacial pace and incoherent plotting, generating more Reddit theories than actual scares and leaving viewers more haunted by what could have been.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
For almost the entire bloated two-hour run time, Black keeps his foot on the accelerator in the hope that audiences won’t notice the haphazard, barely logical plotting.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
At the start of Wayward’s finale, Abbie, Rory and Leila escape from the Tall Pines facility after weeks of planning and plotting.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
To be fair, most romance plotting is built on contrivances and guaranteed happily ever afters.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The hyperactive plotting runs on hyperventilating prose.
—Book Marks
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
All of that plotting is happening in a separate room from the elaborate ball itself, which was filmed at boxer Evander Holyfield’s mansion in Atlanta.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
While these reflections offer some useful context to Carroll, this circuitous plotting is distracting.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
Monday was the first day of the rest of Neil Cole’s life — and the brand management pioneer is now plotting a comeback.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
So with Danny now plotting his relocation to Beantown and Maria still back home, what does that mean for the former NYPD partners?
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji said on Saturday that several individuals had been arrested for allegedly plotting violent attacks.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Some congressional critics allege the president is plotting to privatize Social Security.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Her senior year was spent navigating classes while plotting her next career move, determined to become more than just another flash in the pan viral star.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Maybe even plotting a permanent move abroad?
—Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
The White House is plotting further cuts, Reuters reported.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
That’s 16 days of public silence and private plotting — 16 days of preparing for a case management conference and pondering motions and strategizing for the discovery process and delving into every facet of this year-long case that has no end in sight.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The season drew heavy criticism for its glacial pace and incoherent plotting, generating more Reddit theories than actual scares and leaving viewers more haunted by what could have been.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
For almost the entire bloated two-hour run time, Black keeps his foot on the accelerator in the hope that audiences won’t notice the haphazard, barely logical plotting.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
At the start of Wayward’s finale, Abbie, Rory and Leila escape from the Tall Pines facility after weeks of planning and plotting.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
To be fair, most romance plotting is built on contrivances and guaranteed happily ever afters.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
The hyperactive plotting runs on hyperventilating prose.
—Book Marks
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
All of that plotting is happening in a separate room from the elaborate ball itself, which was filmed at boxer Evander Holyfield’s mansion in Atlanta.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
While these reflections offer some useful context to Carroll, this circuitous plotting is distracting.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
On Monday, Tchiroma accused the government of plotting to arrest him and posted images on social media of snipers near his residence - claims that could not be independently verified.
—NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
Monday was the first day of the rest of Neil Cole’s life — and the brand management pioneer is now plotting a comeback.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
So with Danny now plotting his relocation to Beantown and Maria still back home, what does that mean for the former NYPD partners?
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji said on Saturday that several individuals had been arrested for allegedly plotting violent attacks.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Some congressional critics allege the president is plotting to privatize Social Security.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Her senior year was spent navigating classes while plotting her next career move, determined to become more than just another flash in the pan viral star.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
Maybe even plotting a permanent move abroad?
—Essence, 23 Oct. 2025
The White House is plotting further cuts, Reuters reported.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plotting
Verb
-
No Warriors were involved, but Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups — as well as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier — was arrested and charged with scheming to rig underground poker games.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Unfortunately, Monroe’s efforts to get deep into the world of a scheming seductress with a very mean streak is one of the few things in this film that really work.—
Matthew Jackson,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Even Alex becomes too entangled in her students’ dealings and ends up suffering at the hands of one of the more calculating boys.—
Rebekah Frumkin,
Washington Post,
6 Sep. 2019
-
And experts believe that his intuitive style could throw the more calculating Caruana, who has faced time crunches already in this championship, off-balance.—
Joshua Robinson,
WSJ,
27 Nov. 2018
Noun
-
These include better sensors, improved stealth, and longer underwater endurance.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Vyaghra is a tiger embodying power, stealth and protection, while Nakra is a crocodile evoking strength, adaptability and primal force.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Tamra’s hanging in Big Bear, Jenn is planning a wedding, and Heather lost $6 million on a house.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Putting on the Halloween show together every year proves challenging for the team at The Kelly Clarkson Show, who are often planning for the special while juggling their regular workloads.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Friday the incident and the recent air incursion linked to Moscow show Kremlin plans for covert and overt attacks against Europe to prepare for a possible NATO-Russia war.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The device is intended for intelligent underwater detection, real-time environmental monitoring, and potentially covert reconnaissance missions worldwide.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These houses could add a layer of secrecy to your person, so look again.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Grand juries play important roles in the criminal justice system, but the secrecy surrounding them can make their process difficult to understand.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Haeckel’s Italian trip was part of a surreptitious alternate life plan.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Trump administration intensified its scrutiny of Chinese nationals studying at U.S. universities in May following several instances of students allegedly engaging in surreptitious activity, including espionage.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In exchange, the agent told the pilot in a clandestine meeting, the aviator would be made a very rich man.—
Joshua Goodman,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
-
If substantiated, Russia's use of a maritime disaster site for clandestine military purposes represents both a security threat and a sensitive violation of an international agreement aimed at honoring the victims.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plotting. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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