Cabal vs. Cabala — What's the Difference?

A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. The use of this term usually carries negative connotations of political purpose, conspiracy and secrecy.It can also refer to a secret plot or a clique, or it may be used as a verb (to form a cabal or secretly conspire).

Variant of kabbalah. See Usage Note at kabbalah.

A conspiratorial group of plotters or intriguers

Alternative spelling of Kabballah

A secret scheme or plot.

A kind of occult theosophy or traditional interpretation of the Scriptures among Jewish rabbis and certain mediæval Christians, which treats of the nature of god and the mystery of human existence. It assumes that every letter, word, number, and accent of Scripture contains a hidden sense; and it teaches the methods of interpretation for ascertaining these occult meanings. The cabalists pretend even to foretell events by this means.

To form a cabal; conspire.

Secret science in general; mystic art; mystery.

A secret political clique or faction.

An esoteric or occult matter resembling the Kabbalah that is traditionally secret

(pejorative) A putative, secret organization of individuals gathered for a political purpose.

An esoteric theosophy of rabbinical origin based on the Hebrew scriptures and developed between the 7th and 18th centuries

A secret plot.

An identifiable group within the tradition of Discordianism.

(intransitive) To engage in the activities of a cabal.

Tradition; occult doctrine. See Cabala.

A secret.

A number of persons united in some close design, usually to promote their private views and interests in church or state by intrigue; a secret association composed of a few designing persons; a junto.

The secret artifices or machinations of a few persons united in a close design; intrigue.

To unite in a small party to promote private views and interests by intrigue; to intrigue; to plot.

A clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue

A plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act (especially a political plot)

Engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together;