conspiracy theory
15
5.1
- noun
- /kənˈspɪrəsi ˈθɪəri/
- Many people believe that the moon landing was staged and point to this as a popular conspiracy theory.
- belief in conspiracy theory
- believe in a conspiracy theory
- specific conspiracy theory
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Watch on YouTubeNo one made him spew these conspiracy theories but himself.
- No one made him spew these conspiracy theories but himself.
- And these are not conspiracy theories like they're actual threats.
- But the bottom line is conspiracy theories get clicks.
- We have false conspiracy theories and you say that they're true.
- But I mean, there may be other conspiracy theories which are actually right.
- So just to kind of preempt the usual NVIDIA conspiracy theories, we'll quote Gordon of PC World.
- So I said to Rob, hey, find us a conspiracy theory expert.
- He's, you know, he's out there promoting, you know, conspiracy theories and all of this kind of stuff.
- Lab leak conspiracy theory probably true.
- And in addition to that, there's a growing appeal of conspiracy theories.
- But you, but you you need free speech in order to combat conspiracy theories.
- You could have That former president's lawyer floated this conspiracy theory.
Examples
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Any significant event in history, somebody's had a conspiracy theory one way or the other.
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The other students appeared to accept this latest spin on the conspiracy theory.
Academic text (1991) -
All right, my first conspiracy theory is it's not mine.
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I want you to stop with the conspiracy theory.
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Can you spare me the conspiracy theory, just this once?
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If you are unfamiliar with this particular conspiracy theory, here is an entertaining place to check it out.
Academic text (2010) -
Are there any proven confirmed conspiracy theories that are favorites of yours that come to mind?
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I've never been much for elaborate conspiracy theories, but sometimes I have to step back and wonder.
Academic text (1999) -
The reaction of the Chinese press was filled primarily with invective and conspiracy theories.
Academic text (1999) -
When I asked Bandara about the Trust's family planning programs, he immediately got defensive about the conspiracy theories.
Academic text (2008)
Antonyms
How Plausible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally built from 'conspiracy' (a secretive plot) + 'theory' (an explanatory belief) — essentially 'a theory about a conspiracy' — so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the basic sense. The N+N compound pattern is cross-linguistically common; only pragmatic nuances (e.g. often implying unsupported belief) go beyond simple compositional meaning but do not block transparency.
Etymology
The noun conspiracy theory comes from conspiracy (a secret plan by a group) and theory (an idea that explains something). Imagine a small group meeting in secret and someone offering the idea that they control events; that's why the phrase means believing events are secretly controlled by a group, often 'without proof'.