Synonyms

conspiratorial

American

[kuhn-spir-uh-tawr-ee-uhl] / kənˌspɪr əˈtɔr i əl /

Sometimes conspiratory

adjective

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

conspiratorially adverb
nonconspiratorial adjective

Etymology

Origin of conspiratorial

conspiratory + -al ¹

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.

And this is always … again, I come back to the conspiratorial point because I do think that that is a form of conspiracy theory.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the clinic, appointments with Marrero could be strangely conspiratorial, patients said.

From BBC

In 2020, the religious tenor was still there — but it had shifted to a more conspiratorial approach.

From Salon

The trouble with most theories about conspiratorial schemes—the weird ones of 4chan and the specious ones of the faculty lounges—is that they arise from motivated reasoning.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then he smiled, this conspiratorial grown-up smile that made the backstage fluorescents feel warmer.

From Salon

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