Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

camarilla

American  
[kam-uh-ril-uh, kah-mah-ree-lyah, -ree-yah] / ˌkæm əˈrɪl ə, ˌkɑ mɑˈri lyɑ, -ˈri yɑ /

noun

plural

camarillas

  1. a group of unofficial or private advisers to a person of authority, especially a group much given to intrigues and secret plots; cabal; clique.

camarilla British  
/ kamaˈriʎa, ˌkæməˈrɪlə /

noun

  1. a group of confidential advisers, esp formerly, to the Spanish kings; cabal

"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

Etymology

Origin of camarilla

1830–40; < Spanish, equivalent to camar ( a ) room (< Latin camera; see chamber) + -illa diminutive suffix < Latin

Vocabulary lists containing camarilla

2015 Spelling Bee - Words from the Semifinals

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

During World War I he was a member of the Greek Court's pro-German Camarilla.

From Time Magazine Archive

Terri Freedman Camarilla, Calif. It should come as no surprise to anyone that a Polish Pope has been elected.

From Time Magazine Archive

Camarilla, kam-ar-il′a, n. a body of secret intriguers, esp. of a court party against a king's legitimate ministers: a small room.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

This was the time when the King, in the opinion of the people, was kept distinct from the Camarilla.

From Select Speeches of Kossuth by Newman, Francis William

The Camarilla scandal was all the more painful as it was made a ground for insinuations disgraceful to German officers as a body.

From William of Germany by Shaw, Stanley

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.