Word: machination (noun)

Associations

"Machination" means a secret plan or plot, usually one that is dishonest or intended to do harm. It often suggests clever but sneaky actions behind the scenes.

• In stories about villains, you might hear about their machinations to take over the kingdom. This means their secret plans to gain power.
• In politics, people sometimes talk about the machinations of politicians trying to win an election by trickery.
• In business, machinations can refer to secret schemes to undermine a competitor.

A well-known synonym is "scheme." The difference is that "scheme" can be neutral or even positive (like a plan or program), but "machination" always has a negative, secretive meaning.

Substitution

You can replace "machination" with:

• scheme (less negative or neutral)
• plot (also secret and negative)
• conspiracy (usually involves more people and illegal activity)
• intrigue (focuses on secret plans, often in politics or courts)

Each word changes the feeling a bit. For example, "plot" often implies a story or crime, while "intrigue" can be more about mysterious actions.

Deconstruction

"Machination" comes from Latin "machinatio," which means "a contriving" or "a plotting." The root is "machina," meaning "machine" or "device," showing the idea of something carefully put together like a machine to achieve a secret goal.

There is no prefix or suffix added in English; it is a borrowed word.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a story, movie, or real-life event where someone used machinations to get what they wanted?
• Have you ever seen or been part of a plan that felt like a machination? What happened?
• How do you feel about people who use machinations? Are they clever or just dishonest? Why?