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as in Mafia
a group involved in secret or criminal activities members of the conspiracy recognized each other by a secret handshake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in complicity
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose a conspiracy among the leading manufacturers to fix prices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun conspiracy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of conspiracy are cabal, intrigue, machination, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.

a conspiracy to fix prices

When would cabal be a good substitute for conspiracy?

The synonyms cabal and conspiracy are sometimes interchangeable, but cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.

a cabal among powerful senators

When might intrigue be a better fit than conspiracy?

While the synonyms intrigue and conspiracy are close in meaning, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.

backstairs intrigue

In what contexts can machination take the place of conspiracy?

In some situations, the words machination and conspiracy are roughly equivalent. However, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.

the machinations of a party boss

When is it sensible to use plot instead of conspiracy?

While in some cases nearly identical to conspiracy, plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.

an assassination plot

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conspiracy She was sentenced to six years and five months in prison for conspiracy to commit a crime, drug trafficking, manufacturing, or possession of narcotics. Nathaly Triana, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025 Victoria Goodwin was arrested Thursday, according to online inmate records from Nevada’s Clark County, and arraigned on charges of solicitation of murder and conspiracy murder. Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025 The conversation then veered into another favorite topic in conspiracy circles: the JFK assassination. William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025 Ramos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to encourage and induce, bring in, transport, and harbor aliens on Oct. 4, 2024. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conspiracy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conspiracy
Noun
  • Last Word is officially launching as its first series, Mafia: Most Wanted, launches on Crave on Friday (March 7).
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Law enforcement authorities considered Torres, 59, the most powerful Mexican Mafia member in the San Fernando Valley and a key figure behind Los Angeles County jail rackets occurring at the time of his death on July 6, 2023.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Since World War II, the country has had a tricky time confronting the question of what to do about the complicity of those who came before.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2025
  • This vision has been rendered impossible by Hamas's reign of terror and widespread Gazan civilian complicity.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The military declares martial law in the town as Daniels and his fellow scientists race to develop a cure, even as the nefarious McClintock schemes to bomb Cedar Creek to smithereens to contain the virus.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The White Van is a kinetic heist thriller following a troubled young woman who is lured into a criminal scheme that leaves her wanted for bank robbery and hunted by a corrupt cop who doesn’t want justice – but wants the money for himself.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case in which Mexico is suing U.S. gun companies to cover the cost of dealing with Mexican gang and cartel violence.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • People in Sweden see these gang shootings and are incredibly alarmed and afraid of them.
    Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Most notably, the revelation of collusion to fix commissions by Sotheby’s and Christie’s in the late 1990s, which undermined both companies.
    Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Its technology enables gaming businesses to detect collusion, for example, and supports fintechs and other credit providers when lending to customers for the first time.
    David Prosser, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • None of this has been decisively refuted or permanently canceled, but the plot lines have run into complications.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Imagine a system that, every so often, interrupts a predictable rotation with a track a listener might never choose on their own—a musical plot twist that adds a pinch of unpredictability but doesn’t force mismatches.
    Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • That headline is just the tip of the iceberg of a heist syndicate targeting Nike sneakers, according to an eye-opening Los Angeles Times story connecting 10 thefts over the last year.
    Ian Servantes for Footwear News, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2025
  • These heists are believed to be connected to an international crime syndicate based in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the complaint says.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.
    Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
  • Of course, this was done with the connivance of politicians.
    Vera Bergengruen/Buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Conspiracy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conspiracy. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

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