machination

[ mak-uh-ney-shuhn ]

/ ˌmæk əˈneɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for: machination / machinations on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of machinating.

Usually machinations. crafty schemes; plots; intrigues.

OTHER WORDS FOR machination

2 stratagem, device.

See synonyms for machination on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of machination

1375–1425; late Middle English machinacion<Latin māchinātiōn- (stem of māchinātiō). See machinate, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM machination

an·ti·mach·i·na·tion, adjective

How to use machination in a sentence

But Flagg, too, comes apart in his machinations, bent ever more fully on political domination.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So perhaps the barbed wire and the machinations of the plot did duty for other obstacles that stood between myself and freedom.
The Stacks: How The Berlin Wall Inspired John le Carré’s First Masterpiece|John le Carré|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
True, not all of these threats can be explained by the machinations of a global organization known as al Qaeda.
Obama’s War in Iraq Marks the Return of the Global War on Terror|Eli Lake|August 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Impossible plot machinations have been ceded to Machiavelli and the Italian states.
A Fantasy Titan Invades the YA Kingdom|William O’Connor|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

To those unaccustomed to the machinations of the UN, this may seem like yet another insignificant and toothless resolution.
At the United Nations, It’s Human Rights, Putin-Style|Jay Michaelson|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He failed to see that this man had suffered bitterly through his evil machinations.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
The villain Longcluse, and the whole fabric of his machinations, may be dashed in pieces by a word.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
It is from the plots and counter-plots, the machinations and subterfuges that follow that Miss Bowen justifies her title.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
He attacked the usurpations of Robespierre and the machinations of the Jacobins, by which he fell.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Here was another plane of existence where the machinations of men seemed to matter little.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for machination

machination

/ (ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən, ˌmæʃ-) /

noun

an intrigue, plot, or scheme

the act of devising plots or schemes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

machination

OTHER WORDS FOR machination

Origin of machination

OTHER WORDS FROM machination

Words related to machination

How to use machination in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for machination