Machinations are secret, clever, and often unfair methods used to get something — and the word is not kind. If you talk about someone’s machinations, you think they have been plotting behind other people’s backs. It is almost always plural: we say “his machinations,” rarely “a machination.” You meet it in newspapers, novels, and slightly formal talk about politics and palaces. It sounds a bit theatrical, even old-fashioned, which is part of why writers like it. Though actually, the plans do not have to be brilliant; the word mainly says “secret and not fair,” with a raised eyebrow.