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as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake

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2
as in complicity
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose a conspiracy among the leading manufacturers to fix prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun conspiracy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conspiracy are cabal, intrigue, machination, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When would cabal be a good substitute for conspiracy?

The synonyms cabal and conspiracy are sometimes interchangeable, but cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

When might intrigue be a better fit than conspiracy?

While the synonyms intrigue and conspiracy are close in meaning, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

In what contexts can machination take the place of conspiracy?

In some situations, the words machination and conspiracy are roughly equivalent. However, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

When is it sensible to use plot instead of conspiracy?

While in some cases nearly identical to conspiracy, plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conspiracy Paul Keenan, 54, pleaded guilty in Rhode Island federal court to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in at least 10 states, Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said in a news release. Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 27 Feb. 2025 Madigan, a Southwest Side Democrat, was convicted earlier this month of bribery conspiracy and other corruption charges after a four-month trial. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2025 As doctors tried to treat her, Kate’s parents openly discussed their suspicions that a conspiracy was forming around them – and that medical staff couldn’t be trusted. Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025 Freddy Artemio Guerrero Soto, 29, a national of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conspiracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracy
Noun
  • Last Word is officially launching as its first series, Mafia: Most Wanted, launches on Crave on Friday (March 7).
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Law enforcement authorities considered Torres, 59, the most powerful Mexican Mafia member in the San Fernando Valley and a key figure behind Los Angeles County jail rackets occurring at the time of his death on July 6, 2023.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Since World War II, the country has had a tricky time confronting the question of what to do about the complicity of those who came before.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2025
  • This vision has been rendered impossible by Hamas's reign of terror and widespread Gazan civilian complicity.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Since Glossip’s 1998 conviction as the alleged orchestrator of a murder-for-hire scheme targeting his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, a raft of issues with his prosecution has surfaced, coinciding with a shift of political winds now at the inmate’s back.
    Dakin Andone, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case in which Mexico is suing U.S. gun companies to cover the cost of dealing with Mexican gang and cartel violence.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • People in Sweden see these gang shootings and are incredibly alarmed and afraid of them.
    Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Such conduct includes hard core collusion, mergers that reduce competitive vigor, and maintenance of monopolies through the inefficient exclusion or imposition of costs on competitors.
    Alden Abbott, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Multiple musical numbers denounce the collusion between authorities and criminals.
    Alejandra Marquez Guajardo, The Conversation, 14 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • None of this has been decisively refuted or permanently canceled, but the plot lines have run into complications.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
  • 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
Noun
  • These heists are believed to be connected to an international crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the complaint says.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
  • That headline is just the tip of the iceberg of a heist syndicate targeting Nike sneakers, according to an eye-opening Los Angeles Times story connecting 10 thefts over the last year.
    Ian Servantes for Footwear News, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.
    Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Of course, this was done with the connivance of politicians.
    Vera Bergengruen/Buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Conspiracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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