scheming

[ skee-ming ]

/ ˈski mɪŋ /

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adjective

given to making plans, especially sly and underhand ones; crafty.

Nearby words

Origin of scheming

First recorded in 1830–40; scheme + -ing²

SYNONYMS FOR scheming

artful, calculating, cunning.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scheming ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsschem·ing·ly, adverbun·schem·ing, adjective

scheme

[ skeem ]

/ skim /

noun

a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project.

an underhand plot; intrigue.

a visionary or impractical project.

a body or system of related doctrines, theories, etc.: a scheme of philosophy.

any system of correlated things, parts, etc., or the manner of its arrangement.

a plan, program, or policy officially adopted and followed, as by a government or business: The company's pension scheme is very successful.

an analytical or tabular statement.

a diagram, map, or the like.

an astrological diagram of the heavens.

verb (used with object), schemed, schem·ing.

to devise as a scheme; plan; plot; contrive.

verb (used without object), schemed, schem·ing.

to lay schemes; devise plans; plot.

Origin of scheme

1545–55; < Medieval Latin schēma (stem schēmat-) < Greek schêma form, figure

SYNONYMS FOR scheme

2. stratagem, cabal, conspiracy. 5. pattern, schema.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scheme ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

scheme·less, adjectiveschem·er, nounout·scheme, verb (used with object), out·schemed, out·schem·ing.sub·scheme, noun

un·der·scheme, nounun·schemed, adjective

Synonym study

1, 6. See plan. 10. See plot.

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

Examples from the Web for scheming

Even the most sketch-ball, scheming car mechanic knows how much those brake pads cost.
‘Code Black’: An M.D. on How to Fix Our Emergency Room Crisis|Ryan McGarry|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mordred is a slave to his lust for the Queen, finding no outlet for his thwarted energies except in scheming action.
Tolkien’s Unfinished Epic: ‘The Fall of Arthur’|John Garth|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mantel, unfortunately, repeats the “scheming Anne” portrayal in her own novels.
Why Does Anne Boleyn Obsess Us?|Lauren Elkin|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The goal of my book is to empower people to see through this scheming.
What’s in Your Food? Michael Moss Reveals the Food Industry’s Secrets|Michael Moss|March 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST

We still have enemies who spend every waking hour scheming of ways to blow up that mall of imagined peacetime.
Those Who Lost Loved Ones on 9/11 Cannot Forget and Neither Should America|Michael Daly|September 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
To that end he spends a large part of his time in scheming how to get rid of all the other tints.
This Giddy Globe|Oliver Herford
The scheming ambition of Sir Frederick Langley engaged him in the unfortunate insurrection of 1715.
The Black Dwarf|Sir Walter Scott
As if she had never suspected that such was the result of her scheming, Mrs Oldcastle's demeanour changed utterly.
Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood|George MacDonald
We are keeping our secret as well as we can, hoping for relief from Montgomery, and scheming to receive assurance of it.
The Story of Old Fort Loudon|Charles Egbert Craddock
I can picture to myself Waldstein pacing along that alley of clipped trees, now overgrown, scheming and planning.
From a Terrace in Prague|Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker

British Dictionary definitions for scheming

scheming

/ (ˈskiːmɪŋ) /

adjective

given to making plots; cunning

noun

intrigues

Derived Formsschemingly, adverb

scheme

/ (skiːm) /

noun

a systematic plan for a course of action

a systematic arrangement of correlated parts; system

a secret plot

a visionary or unrealizable project

a chart, diagram, or outline

an astrological diagram giving the aspects of celestial bodies at a particular time

mainly British a plan formally adopted by a commercial enterprise or governmental body, as for pensions, etc

mainly Scot an area of housing that is laid out esp by a local authority; estate

verb

(tr) to devise a system for

to form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner

Derived Formsschemer, noun

Word Origin for scheme

C16: from Latin schema, from Greek skhēma form

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 scheming

scheme

1550s, "figure of speech," from Medieval Latin schema "shape, figure, form, appearance; figure of speech; posture in dancing," from Greek skhema (genitive skhematos) "figure, appearance, the nature of a thing," related to skhein "to get," and ekhein "to have," from PIE root *segh- "to hold, to hold in one's power, to have" (cf. Sanskrit sahate "he masters, overcomes," sahah "power, victory;" Avestan hazah "power, victory;" Greek ekhein "to have, hold;" Gothic sigis, Old High German sigu, Old Norse sigr, Old English sige "victory").

The sense "program of action" first is attested 1640s. Unfavorable overtones (selfish, devious) began to creep in early 18c. Meaning "complex unity of coordinated component elements" is from 1736. Color scheme is attested from 1884.

scheme

"devise a scheme," 1767 (earlier "reduce to a scheme," 1716), from scheme (n.). Related: Schemed; scheming.

Idioms and Phrases with scheming

scheme

see best-laid plans (schemes).

scheming

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of scheming

scheme

noun

verb (used with object), schemed, schem·ing.

verb (used without object), schemed, schem·ing.

Origin of scheme

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for scheming

scheming

adjective

noun

scheme

noun

verb

Word Origin for scheme

scheme

scheme

scheme