machination

[ mak-uh-ney-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: machinationmachinations on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an act or instance of machinating.

  2. Usually machinations. crafty schemes; plots; intrigues.

Origin of machination

1
1375–1425; late Middle English machinacion<Latin māchinātiōn- (stem of māchinātiō). See machinate, -ion

Other words for machination

Other words from machination

  • an·ti·mach·i·na·tion, adjective

Words Nearby machination

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How to use machination in a sentence

  • The villain's machination, the lover tied to the railroad track, the train dashing to within two inches of its victim.

    The Shadow | Mary White Ovington
  • Lauzun was always occupied with some machination, even against those to whom he was indifferent; this kept his hand in.

  • Did the two facts announced by the speakers at the restaurant not form part of the same suspicious machination?

    The Golden Triangle | Maurice Leblanc
  • "We are possibly more interested than yourself in clearing up this mysterious machination," Marksman answered.

    The Indian Scout | Gustave Aimard
  • I will return to Paris to-morrow; I will defeat his machination, expose his falsehood!

    Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for machination

machination

/ (ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən, ˌmæʃ-) /


noun
  1. an intrigue, plot, or scheme

  2. the act of devising plots or schemes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012