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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use machination in a sentence

  • He failed to see that this man had suffered bitterly through his evil machinations.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • The villain Longcluse, and the whole fabric of his machinations, may be dashed in pieces by a word.

    Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
  • It is from the plots and counter-plots, the machinations and subterfuges that follow that Miss Bowen justifies her title.

  • He attacked the usurpations of Robespierre and the machinations of the Jacobins, by which he fell.

  • Here was another plane of existence where the machinations of men seemed to matter little.

    Mystery Ranch | Arthur Chapman

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