as in conspiracy
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose
the two major auction houses acting in complicity to drive up the prices of art works
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of complicity
Still, the show stops short of wrestling with either the characters’ complicity in injustice or their evolving feelings in any real detail.
—
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Officials from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office also arrested Marlana Strausbaugh and William Strausbaugh, who now both face charges of hindering prosecution or apprehension and complicity in aiding escape.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
Trump’s accelerationist instincts, the zeal of his fan base, and the complicity, cowardice, and inaction of the Democratic Party in the face of the governing Republican trifecta made the possibility of a military dictatorship in the United States seem borderline plausible.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
These actions reject complicity and affirm justice.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complicity
Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Officials from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office also arrested Marlana Strausbaugh and William Strausbaugh, who now both face charges of hindering prosecution or apprehension and complicity in aiding escape.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
Trump’s accelerationist instincts, the zeal of his fan base, and the complicity, cowardice, and inaction of the Democratic Party in the face of the governing Republican trifecta made the possibility of a military dictatorship in the United States seem borderline plausible.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
These actions reject complicity and affirm justice.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for complicity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicity
Noun
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Finally, both Garcia and Niroula were also sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in September 2012 on charges of murder and conspiracy.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
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The Netflix film stars Keira Knightley as a reporter plunged into a deadly conspiracy while on assignment on a luxury yacht.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Droney found there was no collusion, saying league officials presenting economic information to owners is not indicative of collusion.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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In the United Kingdom, regulators warned that AI systems used in energy markets could unintentionally enable tacit collusion between suppliers.—
Gopinath Kathiresan,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Or secretly despise his own connivance?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
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In addition, senior executives could be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Complicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicity. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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