machination
noun
mach·i·na·tion
ˌma-kə-ˈnā-shən 
ˌma-shə-
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
Peter Bogdanovich
Examples of machination in a Sentence
incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
Recent Examples on the Web
Nobody really knows anything about the inner machinations of New England’s football operation — a direct result of the franchise’s trademark paranoia.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023
From there, the movie largely skips over the Pinochet regime itself — a choice that, given Larraín’s past skill at dramatizing the machinations of power, feels like something of a missed opportunity.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Instead, the show trudged through locker-room rivalries, boardroom subplots, and the business machinations of the owner, Jerry Buss, before finally staging a tip-off halfway through, for Magic’s first Lakers game.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2023
Much of this is due to the Lady Macbeth machinations of his wife Lucía Hiriart (Gloria Münchmeyer) who is described as outdoing even her undead husband in sheer perversity.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023
Very specific machinations of this, but more than 1 million low [00:21:00] income borrowers are going to be eligible for this.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 Aug. 2023
The acrimony has been escalating since last summer, when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, whose appointments many have ascribed to Leo’s machinations, overthrew Roe v. Wade, the fifty-year-old decision protecting women’s reproductive rights.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 20 July 2023
On top of all that, the clip also features a whole lot of classic Simon Cowell machinations.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
Hurtado painstakingly details the machinations through which Correa undid the checks and balances of liberal, representative democracy and concentrated power in his own hands.
—Osvaldo Hurtado, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
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Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023
From there, the movie largely skips over the Pinochet regime itself — a choice that, given Larraín’s past skill at dramatizing the machinations of power, feels like something of a missed opportunity.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Instead, the show trudged through locker-room rivalries, boardroom subplots, and the business machinations of the owner, Jerry Buss, before finally staging a tip-off halfway through, for Magic’s first Lakers game.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2023
Much of this is due to the Lady Macbeth machinations of his wife Lucía Hiriart (Gloria Münchmeyer) who is described as outdoing even her undead husband in sheer perversity.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023
Very specific machinations of this, but more than 1 million low [00:21:00] income borrowers are going to be eligible for this.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 Aug. 2023
The acrimony has been escalating since last summer, when the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, whose appointments many have ascribed to Leo’s machinations, overthrew Roe v. Wade, the fifty-year-old decision protecting women’s reproductive rights.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 20 July 2023
On top of all that, the clip also features a whole lot of classic Simon Cowell machinations.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
Hurtado painstakingly details the machinations through which Correa undid the checks and balances of liberal, representative democracy and concentrated power in his own hands.
—Osvaldo Hurtado, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'machination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of machination was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near machination
Cite this Entry
“Machination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machination. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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