scheming
Americanadjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of scheming
Explanation
Scheming is an adjective that describes someone who is always doing sneaky things to make things happen, like your scheming friend who invites you to a family party because she secretly wants you to meet her adorable cousin. A scheme is a plan of action that is usually secret or kept hidden. So something described as scheming has the quality of secretive planning. For example, you might offer to keep your mom company on a long drive to drop off a relative at the airport because on the way home, you plan to ask her to stop at the big shopping mall that's right off the highway. That's the essence of being scheming — you conceal your true intentions because you believe it will help you get what you want.
Vocabulary lists containing scheming
Charlotte's Web
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Six of Crows
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As Brave as You
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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.
When “The Traitors” executive producer Mike Cotton and his colleagues brought the first season of Peacock’s reality competition to American audiences, doing so with a cast of unknowns scheming for a six-figure prize seemed risky.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
And while Hamlet may dither in seeking revenge for his father’s murder, we don’t hope that the scheming Claudius gets away with it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
Meng, who had initially been charged with scheming to evade US sanctions on Iran, was freed in September 2021.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
Their closeness derails Rausch’s “three steps ahead” scheming.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
Already Lavender's scheming mind was going over the possibilities that this water-jug job had opened up for her.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
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.
