conspiratorial
Americanadjective
-
relating to or being a conspiracy, a secretive plan that is unlawful, harmful, or evil.
They believe these rulings to be the result of a conspiratorial plot cooked up by big business interests.
-
suggesting or giving the impression of such a plan.
The memory I have of that night is of wicked giggles and conspiratorial whispering about Tim with my best friend Gillian.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conspiratorial
conspiratory + -al 1
Explanation
Something that's conspiratorial involves a secret plan with other people. A conspiratorial glance between siblings is bound to make their babysitter nervous. Things done in a conspiratorial way are secretive and sneaky: a meet up between spies is conspiratorial, and several coworkers planning a surprise party for their boss might spend the day communicating in various conspiratorial ways. The adjective comes from its related verb, conspire, "plot," or "make secret plans," from the Latin root conspirare, "to agree, unite, or plot," or literally, "to breathe together."
Vocabulary lists containing conspiratorial
The Devil's Arithmetic
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"The Moustache" and "Who We Really Are"
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Charming as Verb
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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.
It’s a treat to see Spielberg enjoying staging this conspiratorial gossip in different film stocks, from the black-and-white noir of 1947 Roswell to the clinical security-camera look of today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
We have reached a point at which conspiratorial thinking in itself is its own kind of political movement—one that often exists outside traditional partisan lines.
From Slate ● Apr. 26, 2026
Many of the deaths and disappearances were first covered individually, sometimes with a conspiratorial bent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
At first, I felt vaguely conspiratorial — like I was getting away with something.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
“You know how it is,” Doc Daneeka had wheedled, with a sly, conspiratorial wink.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
