Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MACHINATIONS
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Like you might guess, the word machinations is closely related to machine, with both tracing back to the Latin machina, which could mean "a machine or an engine" or "a trick."
The word "machinations" traces back through Old French to the Latin machinari, meaning "to plot, or to scheme," and further back to machina, "a trick, or a machine or engine."
Part of speech:
Pick the common, emphatic, cartoonish word "machinations" when you want to paint someone as a sneaky villain.
"As Mr. Hoffenberg's business grew, his financial machinations became increasingly complex."
Explain the meaning of "machinations" without saying "tricks" or "schemes."
A writer for the Verge complained that the show Into the Badlands was "mired in drearily convoluted plot machinations."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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A near opposite of MACHINATIONS could be
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