as in conspiracy
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 machination
But the rollicking thriller — which focuses on the machinations of Cardinals gathered in Rome to pick a new pope — is stirring up controversy with the group of people most likely to be interested in the inner workings of the church: Catholics, like Kelly.
—
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 12 Jan. 2025
The visual language of The Substance is rendered in the machinations of gleaming advertisements meant to trade upon the fears embedded in women by a culture that argues death is preferable to aging.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Her biggest swings are aimed at Spotify’s recommendation framework: the back-end machinations that silently power the playlists available to its 600 million users.
—Brad Shoup, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025
But to ensure its decline, Aoun and Salam will need to cut it off from funds over the next year and fight back against its political machinations.
—Hanin Ghaddar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 12 Jan. 2025
The visual language of The Substance is rendered in the machinations of gleaming advertisements meant to trade upon the fears embedded in women by a culture that argues death is preferable to aging.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Her biggest swings are aimed at Spotify’s recommendation framework: the back-end machinations that silently power the playlists available to its 600 million users.
—Brad Shoup, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025
But to ensure its decline, Aoun and Salam will need to cut it off from funds over the next year and fight back against its political machinations.
—Hanin Ghaddar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for machination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machination
Noun
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She was arrested on suspicion of robbery (conspiracy) and resisting or obstructing officers, according to the news release.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Mar. 2025
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The former cartel leader is facing multiple charges, including drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder, in the Eastern District of New York.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The 22-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury came after a yearslong federal investigation and alleged Madigan participated in an array of bribery and extortion schemes from 2011 to 2019 aimed at using the power of his office for personal gain.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
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On Friday, Reardon tossed the case against Mario Juarez, the longtime political operative and twice-failed Oakland City Council candidate who claimed to have been the target of an extortion scheme by Price.—
Jakob Rodgers,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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For Macdonald, the plot of a tale is more like a plot of land.—
Anthony Lane,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
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Imagine a system that, every so often, interrupts a predictable rotation with a track a listener might never choose on their own—a musical plot twist that adds a pinch of unpredictability but doesn’t force mismatches.—
Seth Yudof,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Machination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machination. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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