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
For all of Erik Spoelstra’s lineup machinations, a constant from the Heat coach has been Mitchell as an every-game starter, something for the Heat that also only has been the case with Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
That stunted dynamic all puts the dramatic onus of the season on Jolyon’s and Louisa’s relationship, made impossible both by class and by Francis’s political machinations for her husband.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
As the 2010s went on, the machinations of reality shows became repetitive and transparent.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
For the last five years, we have been repeatedly treated to weird machinations by Mayor Todd Gloria.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
While Miami’s undefeated run through the regular season captured the biggest on-the-court headlines, there were, as always, plenty of off-the-court machinations – some understandable, some unseemly, some par for the course.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
But as the first ballots of 2026 are cast on Tuesday — in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas — the broad contours of the House map have become clearer, along with the result of all those partisan machinations.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Drawing on thousands of pages of documents, emails, and text messages that have never before been seen on television, this limited series exposes the private machinations of a family torn apart by power, politics, and a desperate desire for their father’s love.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
There are times, though, when the filmmaker makes his machinations too obvious, as with the too-cute cross-cutting illustrating how the characters are all caught in the same web.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2026
That stunted dynamic all puts the dramatic onus of the season on Jolyon’s and Louisa’s relationship, made impossible both by class and by Francis’s political machinations for her husband.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
As the 2010s went on, the machinations of reality shows became repetitive and transparent.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
For the last five years, we have been repeatedly treated to weird machinations by Mayor Todd Gloria.
—Harvey Levine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
While Miami’s undefeated run through the regular season captured the biggest on-the-court headlines, there were, as always, plenty of off-the-court machinations – some understandable, some unseemly, some par for the course.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
But as the first ballots of 2026 are cast on Tuesday — in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas — the broad contours of the House map have become clearer, along with the result of all those partisan machinations.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Drawing on thousands of pages of documents, emails, and text messages that have never before been seen on television, this limited series exposes the private machinations of a family torn apart by power, politics, and a desperate desire for their father’s love.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
There are times, though, when the filmmaker makes his machinations too obvious, as with the too-cute cross-cutting illustrating how the characters are all caught in the same web.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machinations
Noun
-
Over the past decade, United States Attorney’s Offices in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia have charged dozens of individuals in corruption and fraud schemes involving college coaches, players and athletic department personnel.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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The company described cargo theft as a growing issue marked by increasing sophistication in the schemes used by criminals.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Prosecutors accused Peters of stealing a Mesa County employee's security badge to help a man gain access to the county's voter systems to prove false conspiracies about the validity of the 2020 election results.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
There is obviously a lot more going on, so leave your conspiracies and guesses to yourselves.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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From large commercial operations to small-scale organic plots, farmers across Illinois and the country are trying to weather the sharp spike in agricultural costs driven by a conflict thousands of miles from their fields.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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And his writing evolved along with the series, as the characters grew more morally complex, and the plots became more intricate and convoluted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Plus the balcony is useful for intrigues and gossiping about the people below, as seen at Lady Danbury’s ball in season one of Bridgerton.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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Roshanara became Aurangzeb’s informant, keeping him apprised of court intrigues and politics.—
Gitanjali Roy,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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