intrigue
noun/ˈɪntriːɡ/, /ɪnˈtriːɡ/
/ˈɪntriːɡ/, /ɪnˈtriːɡ/
- [uncountable] the activity of making secret plans in order to achieve an aim, often by tricking people
- political intrigue
- The young heroine steps into a web of intrigue in the academic world.
- a tale of treachery and court intrigue
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- international
- political
- court
- …
- engage in
- surround somebody/something
- intrigue against
- a web of intrigue
- [countable] a secret plan or relationship, especially one that involves somebody else being tricked
- I soon learnt about all the intrigues and scandals that went on in the little town.
- Sexual intrigues were almost part of the culture of high politics.
- The prime minister engaged in political intrigues against the king.
- [uncountable] the atmosphere of interest and excitement that surrounds something secret or important
- North was a man who added to the intrigue of meetings.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- international
- political
- court
- …
- engage in
- surround somebody/something
- intrigue against
- a web of intrigue
Word Originearly 17th cent. (in the sense ‘deceive, cheat’): from French intrigue ‘plot’, intriguer ‘to tangle, to plot’, via Italian from Latin intricare, from in- ‘into’ + tricae ‘tricks, perplexities’.Sense (1) of the verb, which was influenced by a later French sense “to puzzle, make curious”, arose in the late 19th cent.
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intrigue