cabal
1 of 2noun
-ˈbal cabal
2 of 2verb
intransitive verb
Did you know?
Cabal has been associated with a group of five ministers in the government of England's King Charles II. The initial letters of the names or titles of those men (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale) spelled cabal, and they have been collectively dubbed as the "Cabal Cabinet" or "Cabal Ministry." But these five names are not the source of the word cabal, which was in use decades before Charles II ascended the throne. The term traces back to cabbala, the Medieval Latin name for the Kabbalah, a traditional system of esoteric Jewish mysticism. Latin borrowed Cabbala from the Hebrew qabbālāh, meaning "received or traditional lore."
Synonyms
Noun
- conspiracy
- crew
- gang
- Mafia
- mob
- ring
- syndicate
Example Sentences
Richard Ruelas, The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2022 Originally portrayed as a teen inventor, the series reimagines Swift as a Black, gay billionaire who is thrust into conflict with a mysterious global cabal following the sudden disappearance of his father. Wilson Chapman, Variety, 30 June 2022 The idea that there is some cabal of lefty Twitter power users convening at a summit to set the right level of ironic vitriol for their tweets, as if setting oil production quotas at OPEC, has always been absurd. Katherine Cross, Wired, 3 Feb. 2022 The claims echo the QAnon conspiracy theory, which baselessly alleges the existence of a global cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles whose members include Hollywood celebrities and political elites. Mckenzie Sadeghi, USA TODAY, 18 June 2021 The Jewish people continued to be portrayed as a bloodthirsty mob, and the high priesthood as a sinister cabal with more power over Jesus’s life than the occupying Romans. A.j. Goldmann, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2022 On the campaign trail, Republican candidates avoid talking about the idea that a cabal of pedophiles is preying on children, a core tenet of QAnon. New York Times, 25 July 2022 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was run by a tight cabal; ergo, America must have been as well. Evan Thomas, Washington Post, 22 July 2022 QAnon followers believe a cabal of Satan worshipers run a global pedophile ring and that the worshippers will eventually be brought to justice by Donald Trump. Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 June 2022 Martin Finucane, BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2019 Powell is drawing encouragement from the significant losses of candidates who, like Burton, are backed by the Empower Texans cabal attempting to take control of the Texas Legislature. Richard Greene, star-telegram, 24 May 2018 See More Word History
Noun and Verb
French cabale cabala, intrigue, cabal, from Medieval Latin cabbala cabala, from Late Hebrew qabbālāh, literally, received (lore)
Noun
1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1678, in the meaning defined above
cabal 1 of 2
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- gang
- conspiracy
- Mafia
- syndicate
- clan
- mob
- crew
- clique
- network
- coven
- coterie
- ring
- bunch
- oligarchy
- crowd
- junta
- circle
- pack
- set
- lot
- galère
cabal
2 of 2verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- club
- confederate
- league
- ally
- group
- hang together
- gang up
- collaborate
- federate
- cooperate
- affiliate
- coalesce
- conglomerate
- organize
- unionize
- team (up)
- unite
- cohere
- associate
- band (together)
- knot
- merge
- conjoin
- amalgamate
- consolidate
- incorporate
- converge
- tie
- link
- combine
- join
- wed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disband
- break up
- separate
- part
- split
- divorce
- sever
- dissolve
- segregate
- detach
- disengage
- disunite
- alienate
- fall out
- sunder
- estrange
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of cabal are conspiracy, intrigue, machination, and plot. While all these words mean "a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end," cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence.
While in some cases nearly identical to cabal, conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery.
While the synonyms intrigue and cabal are close in meaning, intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity.
In some situations, the words machination and cabal are roughly equivalent. However, machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means.
The synonyms plot and cabal are sometimes interchangeable, but plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme.