complicity

noun

com·​plic·​i·​ty kəm-ˈpli-s(ə-)tē 

plural complicities

1

: association or participation in or as if in a wrongful act

There's no proof of his complicity in the crime.

2

: an instance of complicity

The two share a complicity she calls fraternal.

—Joan Dupont

Synonyms of complicity

• conspiracy
• collusion
• connivance

Examples of complicity in a Sentence

There's no proof of her complicity in the murder.

He acted with his brother's complicity.

Recent Examples on the Web

But revenge and deadly violence tear down all the facades, confronting the survivors with the results of their willful complicity, studied ignorance and hubris. —The Know, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025

Three of the suspects detained in October have been charged with organized robbery, with the fourth, a woman, charged with complicity in organized robbery. —Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

The scale of violence has attracted the attention of the US president as well as accusations of Nigerian government complicity in allowing attacks against Christians. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025

Just like Joe, Kate has been hiding, her obsession with Larry’s survival being her twisted way of dealing with her own complicity in her husband’s actions. —Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French complicité, borrowed from New Latin complicitāt-, complicitās, formed from Late Latin complic-, complex "fellow-participant, partner, accomplice" and Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity, probably after Late Latin duplicitās duplicity — more at complice

Note: The formation of the word is peculiar in that Latin -itāt-, -itās, along with its descendants and borrowings, is rarely added to nouns. Outside of the dictionaries of Thomas Blount and Elisha Coles, complicity is rare to non-existent in English text before the later eighteenth century, when its adoption was probably stimulated by French complicité.

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for complicity

• basicity
• chronicity
• cyclicity
• duplicity
• ethnicity
• facticity
• felicity
• helicity
• plasticity
• publicity
• rusticity
• simplicity

Kids Definition

complicity

noun

com·​plic·​i·​ty kəm-ˈplis-ət-ē 

plural complicities

: association or participation in a wrongful act