counterplot 1 of 2

noun

Definition of counterplotnext
Enter your own sentence containing counterplot , and get words to replace it.
loading
as in intrigue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

counterplot

2 of 2

verb

as in to plot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 counterplot
Noun
Bit by bit, the castle at Elsinore (broodingly rendered by scenic designer Lee Savage) turns into a stage for life-and-death plots and counterplots. — Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 31 July 2019 There’s something comforting about the normalcy of plot and counterplot, action and intrigue. — Mike Hale, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterplot
  1. intrigue
  2. plot
  3. machination
  4. scheme
  5. subterfuge
  6. conspire
  7. conspiracy
  8. contrive
Noun
  • The intrigue: While important, the February PCE data is also a snapshot of a somewhat different environment than today.
    — Courtenay Brown, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
  • In terms of demeanor, Cavett and Mulaney also share a lot in common, as both are known for infusing their comedy with a certain level of intellect and intrigue.
    — Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of intrigue
Verb
  • Less than a month into the job, Trump and the Japanese Prime Minister plotted their response to a North Korean missile launch in the open-air patio of Mar a Lago, photos of which ended up on Facebook.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Charity workers had plotted the heights and weights of Daasanach children on World Health Organization charts—the same ones our pediatrician used to monitor my daughter’s growth—and determined that more than two-thirds of the kids were malnourished.
    — Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of plot
Noun
  • Much of the series’ pathos hinges on the growing schism between mother and son as Kanan begins to understand the horrors of Raq’s machinations and deceit (including tricking him into assassinating his biological father), leading him to try to go into business for himself.
    — Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2025
  • While many successful industries celebrate greatness and individual stories, why is the architecture architecture community downplaying individuals and advocating for itself as a cog in neutral, bureaucratic machinations?
    — Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of machination
Verb
  • Firestone’s narrators are always scheming to leave, either arguing uselessly with administrators about the injustice of their incarceration or playing along, hoping that good behavior will get them out.
    — Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Washington, here, is the title character, a military general whose personnel choices have enraged Gyllenhaal’s scheming underling.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of scheme
Noun
  • His delivery of Mantel’s dialogue—modern, intelligent, bristling with implication and subterfuge—is mesmerizingly clear.
    — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
  • With a bit of guidance, navigating between the classic go-to’s and the newer dining options are scattered throughout the properties can lead to incredible culinary discoveries, plenty of popping champagne bottles and even a dash of historical subterfuge.
    — Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Definition of subterfuge
Verb
  • As the plaintiffs tell it, the defendants illegally conspire to cap prize money and limit players’ earnings opportunities off the court.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Many things conspire to keep a retiree from getting out of the house in the late morning.
    — Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of conspire
Noun
  • Michael was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy to commit neglect of a dependent in 2022, while the charges against Kristine were dropped shortly after.
    — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • How ‘chemtrails’ went from conspiracy to legislation Even before Kennedy’s new position, conspiracies about geoengineering and chemtrails ran rampant online.
    — Ramishah Maruf, Brandon Miller, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025
Definition of conspiracy
Verb
  • Is this explanation contrived and littered with potential plot points?
    — Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Mar. 2025
  • Its inner acolytes came across, by contrast, as uncannily contrived kooks.
    — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of contrive

Browse Nearby Words

counterplans
counterplot
counterplots
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counterplot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterplot. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All