conspiratorial

[ kuhn-spir-uh-tawr-ee-uhl ]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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 Words From

• con·spir·a·to·ri·al·ly adverb
• non·con·spir·a·to·ri·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conspiratorial¹

conspiratory + -al ¹

Example Sentences

As I wrote then, this conspiratorial worldview provides a new framework for the right:

From Salon

A few liberals, in the hours after the election, indulged conspiratorial explanations for why Harris underperformed compared to Biden’s 2020 victory, but none with any stature and certainly none who hold higher elected office.

From Salon

“There's no way to get to the truth in this. And if they want to call it conspiratorial, they can,” she says.

From BBC

The former president instead focused his ire on “the enemy from within,” which he described in conspiratorial terms as an “amorphous” “radical left machine” that secretly controls President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

From Salon

"They’re creating space for some of these conspiratorial views to fester."

From Salon

Related Words

• classified
• covert
• furtive
• hush-hush
• mysterious
• obscure
• private
• secluded
• undercover
• underground
• undisclosed
• unknown
• unpublished