as in schemes
a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of machinations
For all the machinations, though, this dealmaking could happen without Greenland changing hands.
—
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
Should Wiggins opt into the final season on his contract, he then could be subbed in for Herro in the machinations of a Giannis deal.
—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Humankind doesn’t need to fully grasp the inner machinations.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Fortunately, the plot machinations demand that Tova sprain her ankle early in the film, which gives the otherwise ageless Field the excuse to limp or shuffle around in a walking boot.
—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
Changing the way people move The machinations that go into trying to plan simultaneous transactions can be mind-boggling.
—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Thanks to the machinations of In the City confessional filming, Lindsay was on a coach in front of a green screen, and Kyle was in the building.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
Democrats have questioned whether Vance’s role would bring political machinations into decisions prosecutors and investigators make about what cases to pursue.
—
Andrew Graham
may 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Those intentions prove to be relatively short-lived, as personal tragedy and political machinations eventually drove both men down their familiar old paths.
—
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
Should Wiggins opt into the final season on his contract, he then could be subbed in for Herro in the machinations of a Giannis deal.
—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Humankind doesn’t need to fully grasp the inner machinations.
—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Fortunately, the plot machinations demand that Tova sprain her ankle early in the film, which gives the otherwise ageless Field the excuse to limp or shuffle around in a walking boot.
—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
Changing the way people move The machinations that go into trying to plan simultaneous transactions can be mind-boggling.
—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Thanks to the machinations of In the City confessional filming, Lindsay was on a coach in front of a green screen, and Kyle was in the building.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
27 May 2026
Democrats have questioned whether Vance’s role would bring political machinations into decisions prosecutors and investigators make about what cases to pursue.
—
Andrew Graham
may 27,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Those intentions prove to be relatively short-lived, as personal tragedy and political machinations eventually drove both men down their familiar old paths.
—
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for machinations
Noun
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Twelve hundred conceptual categories showed up in just 490 papers and nowhere in the formal schemes, clustered in environmental drivers and ecological processes.
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New York officials say the unit is a national leader that targets complex, high-impact corporate schemes, and Attorney General Letitia James vows legal action, calling the cutoff an outrageous political attack.
Noun
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And thus, the Roswell UFO conspiracies were born.
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Jackson is charged with multiple drug trafficking conspiracies, providing contraband in prison, evidence tampering, firearm offenses, and operating unregistered drones.
Noun
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In one of the side plots to The Lord of the Rings, two of the Hobbits attempt to rouse Treebeard—a wise but ponderous sentient tree—to defend his forest from an army that is cutting it down.
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Parreno said the grant will cover the costs of about a year’s worth of water for the garden’s 100-plus members, who also pay dues to access plots.
Noun
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Netflix announced a second melodrama last December, about the secrets and intrigues of an elite Rio de Janeiro family, created in partnership with Amaia Produções and Conspiração, with general direction by Mauro Mendonça Filho.
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The rich textures and thick ambiance of The Eyes of Others are pure high modernist 1960s Italian cinema, but De Sica unfurls the film’s winding intrigues with a contemporary sense of suspense, carnality, and visual boldness.
Cite this Entry
“Machinations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/machinations. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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