as in calculating
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as in scheming
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as in planning
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company
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Recent Examples of plotting
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
But this is a romance show, and most of its recurring conflicts are romantic, so the rest of Bridgerton’s plotting has to be fairly frictionless to ensure that its depictions of love and lust are as dramatic as possible.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The plotting, Truist claims, began in August 2022 when Rocco, Lovell, and other Grandbridge employees allegedly met with Colliers executives to discuss working together, all without the knowledge of Truist or its head of commercial real estate.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2026
Invincible is one of the best superhero shows on TV, blending intense and often gory action with smart plotting and character development, clever storytelling, a refreshingly earnest protagonist and an incredible cast.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Sons of Anarchy was praised for its stellar writing, operatic plotting, and cast of actors who breathed vivid life into their characters, giving even the most savage moments a dose of humanity.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
Unfortunately, through its first four episodes, The Copenhagen Test is also a wonderful sleep aid — a whole lot of leaden dialogue and convoluted plotting, with very little intensity or momentum.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
This plotting started immediately after the election, the investigators found.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
Klipstein then asked how her guest knew about the alleged plotting.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Fashion Deals If your suitcase is already plotting its next trip, these February clothing and shoe deals are worth a look.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Vuitton is plotting a full-court press throughout 2026 around the motif’s origins, with special-edition anniversary collections backed by dedicated campaigns, pop-ups and other animations and surprises.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors accused Brendan Banfield of plotting the murders with the family's au pair, 25-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, who was initially charged with second-degree murder in connection with the deaths.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2026
But commenters were also fascinated by a series of colorful graphs plotting dose-response curves for individual types of exercise, purporting to show that walking is the best, jogging is good but not too much, swimming is no good at all, and so on.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
Unbeknownst to them, the 19 girls, 7 boys and Ray were busy plotting their escape.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Last year, two men were convicted and sentenced to 25 years for plotting to kidnap and kill her in 2022.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Shane Dillon is plotting out a career in politics.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Not a single critic of the book was struck by the incongruity of this failure in basic thriller plotting.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
But this is a romance show, and most of its recurring conflicts are romantic, so the rest of Bridgerton’s plotting has to be fairly frictionless to ensure that its depictions of love and lust are as dramatic as possible.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The plotting, Truist claims, began in August 2022 when Rocco, Lovell, and other Grandbridge employees allegedly met with Colliers executives to discuss working together, all without the knowledge of Truist or its head of commercial real estate.
—Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2026
Invincible is one of the best superhero shows on TV, blending intense and often gory action with smart plotting and character development, clever storytelling, a refreshingly earnest protagonist and an incredible cast.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Sons of Anarchy was praised for its stellar writing, operatic plotting, and cast of actors who breathed vivid life into their characters, giving even the most savage moments a dose of humanity.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026
Unfortunately, through its first four episodes, The Copenhagen Test is also a wonderful sleep aid — a whole lot of leaden dialogue and convoluted plotting, with very little intensity or momentum.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Dec. 2025
This plotting started immediately after the election, the investigators found.
—Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
Klipstein then asked how her guest knew about the alleged plotting.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
In 7th place on iSpot’s ranking was Amazon’s Alexa+ spot starring Chris Hemsworth, who runs through several horrifying thought experiments about how the advanced AI might be plotting to murder him in his own home.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Fashion Deals If your suitcase is already plotting its next trip, these February clothing and shoe deals are worth a look.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Vuitton is plotting a full-court press throughout 2026 around the motif’s origins, with special-edition anniversary collections backed by dedicated campaigns, pop-ups and other animations and surprises.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
Prosecutors accused Brendan Banfield of plotting the murders with the family's au pair, 25-year-old Juliana Peres Magalhaes, who was initially charged with second-degree murder in connection with the deaths.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2026
But commenters were also fascinated by a series of colorful graphs plotting dose-response curves for individual types of exercise, purporting to show that walking is the best, jogging is good but not too much, swimming is no good at all, and so on.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 30 Jan. 2026
Unbeknownst to them, the 19 girls, 7 boys and Ray were busy plotting their escape.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Last year, two men were convicted and sentenced to 25 years for plotting to kidnap and kill her in 2022.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Shane Dillon is plotting out a career in politics.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plotting
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
-
As the friends and business rivals debate their level of responsibility and decide on a course of action, the weekend descends into scheming, politicking, and violence.—
Ilana Gordon,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Sandoval is both behind and in front of the camera in Moonglow, playing a scheming if ultimately tenderhearted femme fatale with the classic film noir name of Dahlia.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mayor Michelle Wu says her administration is also planning to boost the city’s annual block-party grants to allow watch parties and festivities to take place across Boston’s neighborhoods.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Lawmakers in Congress are planning to bury the commemorative chest in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This covert expansion of sports betting is controversial.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The company says they can also be used for covert operations, intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance operations.—
Brian Sherrod,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The goal is to build thousands of these missiles, allowing commanders to overwhelm enemy air defenses through sheer volume rather than just stealth.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
-
When Azalea came out of stealth this past November with $82 million in total funding, Yosemite was a key investor.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
None was required for that surreptitious exchange– two dollars for a warm burrito neatly wrapped.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
-
That surreptitious tally of deaths recorded by hospitals stood at 30,304 as of Friday, according to Dr. Amir Parasta, a German-Iranian eye surgeon who prepared a report of the data.—
Kay Armin Serjoie,
Time,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While neither has been accused of wrongdoing, the critics of the secrecy contend that potential criminal defendants are being hidden.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The disclosures come as public trust in the tech industry has eroded over the past decade, amid a growing belief that the wealthy elite have been allowed to operate above the law in a shroud of secrecy.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Ortiz said Rodríguez Torres went further by overseeing the creation of clandestine detention facilities.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Yes, its signage and entryway are on the clandestine side.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plotting. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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