conspiracy

[kuhn-spir-uh-see]

noun

plural

conspiracies 

1. the act of conspiring.

   Synonyms: sedition, collusion

2. an unlawful, harmful, or evil plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot.

3. a combination of persons for such an unlawful, harmful, 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.

conspiracy

/ kənˈspɪrəsɪ, kənˌspɪrəˈtɔːrɪəl /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• conspiratorially adverb
• conspirator noun
• conspiratorial adjective
• conspirative adjective
• conspiratory adjective
• preconspiracy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conspiracy¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English conspiracie, probably from Anglo-French; conspire, -acy; replacing Middle English conspiracioun; conspiration

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Republican leaders in California who oppose the ballot measure have expressed concern about the ballot conspiracy theories, fearing the claims may suppress Republicans and others from voting against Proposition 50.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The writer pointed to the standard empirical data points – consumer confidence, morale, the usuals – but eventually landed on the basic plausible theory that chasing down conspiracies is just plain fun.

Read more on Salon

Her sales pitch hinges on the heartthrob protagonist: “He’s like a hot conspiracy theorist. If there even is such a thing.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I’m not super hard right wing, but I do love a good government conspiracy and that’s what attracted me to him,” said the Gulf Breeze, Fla., mother of three.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He had claimed people held grudges and insisted he was a "good priest," saying the accusations were misconstrued and part of a conspiracy, said Det Con Renwick.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• plot 
• scheme 
• sedition 
• treason 

When To Use

What does conspiracy mean?

Conspiracy most commonly means a secret plan by multiple people to do something evil or illegal.Conspiracy can also refer to the act of making such plans—the act of conspiring—or to the group making the plans. The people involved can be called conspirators.In a legal context, conspiracy refers to an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime.A conspiracy theory is an explanation of an event that claims it was the result of a secret and often complex and evil plot by multiple people. People who promote or formulate conspiracy theories often reject the standard or accepted explanation of unexplained or unusual events and claim that they are the doing of evil conspirators secretly conspiring behind the scenes.Both conspiracy and conspiracy theory are often used in the context of politics.Example: This isn’t the work of one man—it’s a conspiracy, and there are more people in on it than you think!