conspiracy

[ kuhn-spir-uh-see ]
/ kənˈspɪr ə si /

noun, plural con·spir·a·cies.

the act of conspiring.
an evil, unlawful, treacherous, or surreptitious plan formulated in secret by two or more persons; plot.
a combination of persons for a secret, unlawful, or evil purpose: He joined the conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Law. an agreement by two or more persons to commit a crime, fraud, or other wrongful act.
any concurrence in action; combination in bringing about a given result.

Origin of conspiracy

1325–75; Middle English conspiracie, probably < Anglo-French; see conspire, -acy; replacing Middle English conspiracioun; see conspiration

synonym study for conspiracy

2. Conspiracy, plot, intrigue, cabal all refer to surreptitious or covert schemes to accomplish some end, most often an evil one. A conspiracy usually involves a group entering into a secret agreement to achieve some illicit or harmful objective: a vicious conspiracy to control prices. A plot is a carefully planned secret scheme, usually by a small number of persons, to secure sinister ends: a plot to seize control of a company. An intrigue usually involves duplicity and deceit aimed at achieving either personal advantage or criminal or treasonous objectives: the petty intrigues of civil servants. Cabal refers either to a plan by a small group of highly-placed persons to overthrow or control a government, or to the group of persons themselves: a cabal of powerful lawmakers.

OTHER WORDS FROM conspiracy

Example sentences from the Web for conspiratorial

British Dictionary definitions for conspiratorial

conspiracy
/ (kənˈspɪrəsɪ) /

noun plural -cies

a secret plan or agreement to carry out an illegal or harmful act, esp with political motivation; plot
the act of making such plans in secret

Derived forms of conspiracy

conspirator, noun conspiratorial (kənˌspɪrəˈtɔːrɪəl) or conspiratory, adjective conspiratorially, adverb