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conspiracy

[kuhn-spir-uh-see]
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noun, plural con·spir·a·cies.
  1. the act of conspiring.
  2. an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot.
  3. a combination of persons for a secret, unlawful, or evil purpose: He joined the conspiracy to overthrow the government.
  4. Law. an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act.
  5. any concurrence in action; combination in bringing about a given result.
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Origin of conspiracy

1325–75; Middle English conspiracie, probably < Anglo-French; see conspire, -acy; replacing Middle English conspiracioun; see conspiration
Related formscon·spir·a·tive, adjectivecon·spir·a·to·ri·al [kuhn-spir-uh-tawr-ee-uhl, -tohr-] /kənˌspɪr əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, con·spir·a·to·ry, adjectivecon·spir·a·to·ri·al·ly, adverbnon·con·spir·a·to·ri·al, adjectivepre·con·spir·a·cy, noun, plural pre·con·spir·a·cies.

Synonyms for conspiracy

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1. collusion, sedition.

Synonym study

2. Conspiracy, plot, intrigue, cabal all refer to surreptitious or covert schemes to accomplish some end, most often an evil one. A conspiracy usually involves a group entering into a secret agreement to achieve some illicit or harmful objective: a vicious conspiracy to control prices. A plot is a carefully planned secret scheme, usually by a small number of persons, to secure sinister ends: a plot to seize control of a company. An intrigue usually involves duplicity and deceit aimed at achieving either personal advantage or criminal or treasonous objectives: the petty intrigues of civil servants. Cabal refers either to a plan by a small group of highly-placed persons to overthrow or control a government, or to the group of persons themselves: a cabal of powerful lawmakers.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for conspiracy

plot, sedition, scheme, treason, league, fix, cabal, trickery, hookup, frame, practice, connivance, intrigue, trick, game, perfidy, disloyalty, treachery, machination, confederacy

Examples from the Web for conspiracy

Contemporary Examples of conspiracy

Historical Examples of conspiracy

  • There had been a conspiracy against him; he was outwitted, robbed, befooled.

    Fair Margaret

    H. Rider Haggard

  • A conspiracy between speech and action to cheat the understanding.

  • But Human Natur' is in a conspiracy again' me; I can't get on.

  • My dining with him was part of the conspiracy; he was intoxicated previous to his ruin.

    Vivian Grey

    Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli

  • It was useless for her intellect to deny this conspiracy, for her heart proclaimed it.

    A Spirit in Prison

    Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for conspiracy

conspiracy

noun plural -cies
  1. a secret plan or agreement to carry out an illegal or harmful act, esp with political motivation; plot
  2. the act of making such plans in secret
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Derived Formsconspirator, nounconspiratorial (kənˌspɪrəˈtɔːrɪəl) or conspiratory, adjectiveconspiratorially, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for conspiracy

n.

mid-14c., from Anglo-French conspiracie, Old French conspiracie "conspiracy, plot," from Latin conspirationem (nominative conspiratio) "agreement, union, unanimity," noun of action from conspirare (see conspire); earlier in same sense was conspiration (early 14c.), from French conspiration (13c.), from Latin conspirationem. An Old English word for it was facengecwis. As a term in law, from 1863. Conspiracy theory is from 1909.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper