PLOTTING Synonyms: 188 Similar and Opposite Words

plotting 1 of 3

adjective

as in calculating

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plotting

2 of 3

noun

as in scheming

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Dissimilar Words

plotting

3 of 3

verb

present participle of plot

as in planning

to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends mobsters were caught plotting to take over the company

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of plotting

Noun

Resurrection, a blast of old-fashioned Dexter greatness with tight plotting, fun guest stars, and a thrilling climax. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026 None of this ever accumulates much weight, however, since the conflicts are all dulled by the one-note absurdity of the farcical plotting. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 Dense plotting and brutal conflict come together for memorably extravagant zeniths. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026 Amid a national cinema that has become internationally recognized for perverse plotting and deadpan absurdism, writer-director Alexis Alexiou‘s third feature stands out for its stark storytelling and earnest emotional intensity. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026 Setting the film on the Canadian frontier rather than the American sets it apart from its peers, and the more languid pacing and character-driven plotting continue to distinguish it as a mannered classic. — David Faris, TheWeek, 21 Aug. 2026 Then again, there never was with risky plotting predicated on rotation health. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 In October, 2024, Navalna was found guilty, but of a lesser category of terrorist plotting, and sentenced to eight years in prison, rather than the fifteen that the prosecution had requested. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Instead the episode begins with Spike (James Marsters) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau) plotting. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026

Verb

Torture of political opponents The indictment details several cases involving military officers, opposition figures and other detainees accused of plotting against Maduro. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Jair Bolsonaro is now serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest after being convicted of plotting to overturn that election and prevent Lula from taking office. — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 The former president is now serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for his role in plotting the coup attempt. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Oct. 2026 The company, which has plans to more than double its business to $100 billion in retail sales over five years, cut a $1 billion deal to buy Lee jeans in May and has been plotting an IPO. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026 Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula. — Chloe Taylor,thomas Da Graca Barlow, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 Israeli Defense Forces said Bik was involved in plotting attacks and recruiting new members. — Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026 All of this is unfolding during a polarizing presidential election between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 Regardless of plotting, Diaz is an unquestionably methodical researcher, no surprise given his academic background. — Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plotting

Adjective

Even Alex becomes too entangled in her students’ dealings and ends up suffering at the hands of one of the more calculating boys.

— Rebekah Frumkin, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019
And experts believe that his intuitive style could throw the more calculating Caruana, who has faced time crunches already in this championship, off-balance.

— Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2018

Definition of calculating

Noun

Thanks to some scheming of their own, Rebecca and Higgins have turned Hugo to their side, using him to acquire the crucial shares owned by the Milk sisters.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Keeping track of scheming or incompetent subordinates has always been the autocrat’s chief burden.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of scheming

Verb

In another message, Urich shares a speech Netanyahu is planning to give.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026
That unique gallery purchased the building in 2018 for $3 million, but officials there didn’t begin planning its future in earnest until Cap City vacated its lease and closed in July 2025.

— John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of planning

Adjective

There has been serious buzz recently about the film series focused on the United States conducting covert actions against drug cartels.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Flashbacks to recent events reveal that the townspeople never let Hal find peace, and even firebombed his home, only for a grown-up Noah — Kerry’s son, and Zoe’s grandson — to save him and regenerate his skin using Zoe’s covert alien tech.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of covert

Noun

Reactor, which emerged from stealth in May, develops software to make world models run faster and cheaper, and sells a cloud service that manages the computing capacity.

— Wen Shao, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
Modern stealth fighters depend on ground-level operational support to maintain peak combat readiness.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of stealth

Adjective

Many hosts report resistance, in the forms of surreptitious card-shuffling and outright complaints.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
To unearth these surreptitious practices, Gamers Nexus partnered up with independent security researchers and Level1Techs.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of surreptitious

Adjective

Bridgers’ tour restricts phones, so the reader’s account had to stand in for the clandestine photo that might otherwise have accompanied the sighting.

— Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
The Soviet Union operated an extensive clandestine biological weapons program despite being a party to the Biological Weapons Convention.

— Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of clandestine

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plotters

plotting

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“Plotting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plotting. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of plotting

adjective

noun

verb

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