machination

[mak-uh-ney-shuhn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR machination ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of machinating.

Usually machinations. crafty schemes; plots; intrigues.

Nearby words

Origin of machination

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

SYNONYMS FOR machination

2. stratagem, device.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR machination ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsan·ti·mach·i·na·tion, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for machinations

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
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

Russian Church Patriarch Kirill asked God to intervene to end the machinations of those who wanted to separate Russia and Ukraine.
Deadly Shootout in Ukraine Raises Fears of Russian Invasion|Jamie Dettmer|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still more flagrant were his machinations in the present troubles of France.
History of the United Netherlands, 1590-1599, Vol. III. Complete|John Lothrop Motley
Never for one instant believe that you can be hindered by the machinations of a few unworthy men, from reaching any goal you set.
A Woman of the World|Ella Wheeler Wilcox
They rather prove regicide as a form of superannuation, or as the result of the machinations of priests, or of public discontent.
Magic and Religion|Andrew Lang
Now, at any rate, we should be quite safe from any machinations of our Hawaiian entertainers.
The White Man's Foot|Grant Allen
His uprightness prevented his being sufficiently on the watch against the machinations of parties.
Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men|Francois Arago

British Dictionary definitions for machinations

machination

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

Word Origin and History for machinations

machination

late 15c., "a plotting, intrigue," from Old French machinacion "plot, conspiracy, scheming, intrigue," from Latin machinationem (nominative machinatio) "device, contrivance, machination," noun of action from past participle stem of machinari "contrive skillfully, to design; to scheme, to plot," from machina (see machine). Related: Machinations.

machination

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of machination

Examples from the Web for machinations

machination

noun

machination