machination

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˌmækəˈneɪʃən/ UK /ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a crafty and involved plot to achieve a sinister end

The villain's machination was finally uncovered by the detective.
2

noun
the act of scheming or plotting

The machination behind the political scandal was revealed in the investigation.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a crafty and involved plot... plot scheme conspiracy intrigue stratagem

2 noun · the act of scheming or... scheming plotting intrigue ruse

Opposites

honesty candor

Etymology

From Latin machina ('device; contrivance') plus the noun suffix -tion, giving machinatio ('a contriving; scheming'); via Old French and Middle English machination ('plotting; scheming') to modern English, a crafty scheme or plot.

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

# machination

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌmækəˈneɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən

## Meanings
1. a crafty and involved plot to achieve a sinister end
2. the act of scheming or plotting

## Examples
- The villain's machination was finally uncovered by the detective.
- The machination behind the political scandal was revealed in the investigation.

## Synonyms
- plot
- scheme
- conspiracy
- intrigue
- stratagem
- ruse
- scheming
- plotting

## Antonyms
- honesty
- candor

## Etymology
From Latin machina ('device; contrivance') plus the noun suffix -tion, giving machinatio ('a contriving; scheming'); via Old French and Middle English machination ('plotting; scheming') to modern English, a crafty scheme or plot.

## AI Etymology
Machination comes from Latin machina ('device; contrivance') plus the noun suffix -tion, giving machinatio ('a contriving; scheming'); via Old French and Middle English machination ('plotting; scheming') to modern English, a crafty scheme or plot. In current use it is a noun meaning "a crafty and involved plot to achieve a sinister end". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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machination

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