Meanings
plural machinations
- countablein pluraluncountableA clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes.First known use circa 1473
PATRICK: The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma.
2001 September 7, Walt Dohrn, Paul Tibbitt, Merriwether Williams, “The Secret Box”, in SpongeBob SquarePants2 more examples
Machinations, hollowneſſe, treacherie, and all ruinous diſorders follow vs diſquietly to our Graues.
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 286, column 2He witnessed her palpitating bosom, the lifeless hues and disconsolate expression of her interesting countenance; yet, from the machinations of his evil passions, he would have proceeded further, until, entirely overcome, he had seen her drop motionless in her chair, in order that he might have the luxury of supporting her within his arms, and of recalling her to a sense of life and being.
1838, [Letitia Elizabeth] Landon (indicated as editor), chapter IV, in Duty and Inclination: […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 37 - countableuncountableThe act of machinating or plotting.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinmāchinātiōnem
- Middle Frenchmachination
- Middle Englishmachynacion, machynacyon
- Englishmachination
From Middle English machynacion, machynacyon, from Middle French machination and directly Latin māchinātiōnem, from māchinor (“devise, invent”). By surface analysis, machinate + -ion or machine + -ation.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian машина́ция, интри́га
- машина́ция (mašinácija)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- интри́га (intríga)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Chinese Mandarin 奸計, 陰謀 /阴谋
- 奸計 (jiānjì)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- 陰謀 /阴谋 (yīnmóu)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- 詭計 /诡计 (guǐjì)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- 暗算 (ànsuàn)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- 奸計 (jiānjì)act of machinating
- 陰謀 /阴谋 (yīnmóu)act of machinating
- 詭計 /诡计 (guǐjì)act of machinating
- 暗算 (ànsuàn)act of machinating
Czech machinace
- machinaceclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Finnish masinointi, masinointi
- masinointiclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- masinointiact of machinating
French machination
- machinationclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
German Machenschaft
- Machenschaftclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Greek δολοπλοκία, μηχανορραφία
- δολοπλοκία (doloplokía)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- μηχανορραφία (michanorrafía)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- σκευωρία (skevoría)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- πλεκτάνη (plektáni)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Hungarian machináció, üzelmek
- machinációclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- üzelmekclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- fondorlatclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- mesterkedésclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- machinációact of machinating
Icelandic ráðabrugg, leynimakk
- ráðabruggclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- leynimakkclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Italian macchinazione, complotto
- macchinazioneclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- complottoclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- intrigoclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- cospirazioneclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- tiro mancinoclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- macchinazioneact of machinating
- complottoact of machinating
Japanese 策謀, 策動
- 策謀 (sakubō)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- 策動 (sakudō)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Korean 권모술수
- 권모술수 (gwonmosulsu)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Polish machinacja
- machinacjaclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Portuguese maquinação, maquinação
- maquinaçãoclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- maquinaçãoact of machinating
Russian махина́ция, интри́га
- махина́ция (maxinácija)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- интри́га (intríga)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- махина́ция (maxinácija)act of machinating
- ко́зни (kózni)act of machinating
- про́иски (próiski)act of machinating
Spanish maquinación, maquinación
- maquinaciónclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- maquinaciónact of machinating
Swedish ränker
- ränkerclever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
Ukrainian махіна́ція, інтри́га
- махіна́ція (maxinácija)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- інтри́га (intrýha)clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes
- пі́дступи (pídstupy)act of machinating
- за́міри (zámiry)act of machinating
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with machination
Cite this entry
machination. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machination
“machination.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machination. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “machination,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/machination.
Source: machination on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.