conspiratorial
Americanadjective
-
relating to or being a conspiracy, a secretive plan that is unlawful, harmful, or evil.
They believe these rulings to be the result of a conspiratorial plot cooked up by big business interests.
-
suggesting or giving the impression of such a plan.
The memory I have of that night is of wicked giggles and conspiratorial whispering about Tim with my best friend Gillian.
Other Word Forms
- conspiratorially adverb
- nonconspiratorial adjective
Etymology
Origin of conspiratorial
conspiratory + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At first, I felt vaguely conspiratorial — like I was getting away with something.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
The trouble with most theories about conspiratorial schemes—the weird ones of 4chan and the specious ones of the faculty lounges—is that they arise from motivated reasoning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
Although she renounced some of her past conspiratorial views, the House voted to remove her from her committee assignments shortly after she took office.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025
He speaks with the same measured warmth as ever — that deep, lilting rumble that can shift from conspiratorial murmur to amused growl in a heartbeat — but he sometimes loses a name mid-thought.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2025
“Well, you know the way to the kitchen,” Callaway said with a conspiratorial wink.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
