machination
noun
mach·i·na·tion
| \ ˌma-kə-ˈnā-shən
, ˌma-shə-\
, ˌma-shə-\
Definition of machination
1
: an act of machinating
2
: a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end
backstage machinations … that have dominated the film industry— Peter Bogdanovich
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Synonyms for machination
Synonyms
conspiracy, design, intrigue, plot, scheme
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Examples of machination in a Sentence
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
Recent Examples on the Web
And Puerto Rico was thrust into a new period of political tumult over how long the unpopular Ms. Vázquez might remain on the job — and what machinations might be underway to prepare for her possible succession. — Alejandra Rosa, New York Times, "Puerto Rico Supreme Court Ousts New Governor and Another Is Sworn In," 7 Aug. 2019 AMC’s Into the Badlands did better with the fights, but its dystopic-future setting is still mired in drearily convoluted plot machinations. — Noah Berlatsky, The Verge, "Netflix’s Wu Assassins series lacks the Hong Kong cinema magic," 8 Aug. 2019 The Conjuring is set in 1971 and introduced the doll and her malicious machinations. — Rosie Knight, refinery29.com, "Where We Left Off With The Conjuring Crew Ahead Of Annabelle Comes Home," 30 June 2019 And while McKinnon’s army of record executives are played as trendy fools trying to erect a cult of personality around Jack, their machinations are forgotten as Yesterday pivots back to its damp romantic subplot. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Yesterday Imagines a World Where the Beatles Never Existed," 26 June 2019 Greater Good’’ is an absorbing cautionary tale about the ways the best interests of students — the greater good — can fall victim to the machinations and infighting of those who should have those interests at heart, but don’t. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "A school teetering on the brink in ‘Greater Good’," 22 July 2019 Here’s how the game developer describes it: Until now, the myths, mysteries, and machinations of the Destiny universe were found hidden throughout the worlds – enticing threads that hinted at a greater tapestry. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Destiny’s excellent lore is being collected into a physical anthology book series," 27 July 2018 There are several coincidences and machinations in the plot. — Randall G. Mielke, Wheaton Glen Ellyn, "Love takes the long way round in 'Outside Mullingar'," 19 Apr. 2018 Redford’s character grows increasingly disillusioned by the internal pressures and machinations of the political world — a point of view that Mr. Tunney later came to share. — Matt Schudel, Washington Post, "John V. Tunney, California lawmaker whose campaign inspired a film, dies at 83," 14 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'machination.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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