machination
Americannoun
-
an intrigue, plot, or scheme
-
the act of devising plots or schemes
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of machination
1375–1425; late Middle English machinacion < Latin māchinātiōn- (stem of māchinātiō ). See machinate, -ion
Explanation
When a James Bond villain comes up with a plan to destroy the world, he doesn’t use a simple plan. No, he uses a machination — a complex plot that relies on numerous elements coming together to work. Not surprisingly, machination derives from the Medieval French machina, meaning "machine." And, like many a machine, a machination is subject to going wrong, often comically (see James Bond movies). Politicians love a good machination, and their machinations are frequently exposed in the press as scandals.
Vocabulary lists containing machination
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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.
The raven and a “silent partner” then snatched the helpless goslings and devoured them—a machination to make Poe proud.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Both follow the news obsessively, tracking every machination in the former president’s legal drama.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2023
All of this happens while victims’ families wait for justice, essentially as observers to the legal machination and maneuvers.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 13, 2023
It seems more dedicated to machination than to meditation, more focused on struggle than on serenity.
From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2015
I was about to laugh again at the artless mixture in her of expansive unworldliness and quite astute machination when suddenly I thought better of it, and turned away.
From The Debit Account by Onions, Oliver [pseud.]
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.
