machination
Americannoun
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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
Did the two facts announced by the speakers at the restaurant not form part of the same suspicious machination?
From The Golden Triangle The Return of Ars?ne Lupin by Maurice Leblanc
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.
