machination

[mak-uh-ney-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of machinating.

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

   Synonyms: device, stratagem

machination

/ ˌmæʃ-, ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. an intrigue, plot, or scheme

2. the act of devising plots or schemes

Other Word Forms

• antimachination adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of machination¹

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

Example Sentences

The couple sued the city a few months later, accusing them of unconstitutional actions and “backdoor machinations” in trying to preserve a house that doesn’t qualify as a historic cultural monument.

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The Jacobites are mentioned, but most of the political machinations involve interclan jockeying.

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Well, while Red Bull were keeping their own counsel on Wednesday, plenty is known about the machinations behind the scenes, with power struggles, disagreements and concern over both car and driver decisions.

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Instead of a unified empire, the smaller kingdoms of the Heptarchy still dominate, their various dangerous machinations providing the raison d’être for the differing orders.

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Since then, a proposed nonprofit, Santa Monica Roots, has gotten “stuck in the machinations of bureaucracy,” she said, with concerns from officials about the ethics of fundraising on city property.

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Related Words

• conspiracy 
• intrigue 
• ploy 
• ruse 
• stratagem