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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of complicity In a final act of defiance, Maria publicly denounces Irma’s femicide and her husband’s complicity and commits suicide. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025 After a months-long investigation by the Newport Police Department, Cox was indicted in December on charges related to the vandalism, including complicity to criminal mischief and retaliating against a participant in a legal process. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Pervasively unsettling, both too alien and too familiar, Hunting in America coolly illustrates the complicity that both Israeli and Americans have in a gun-touting culture, and the insidious ways that violence can seep into our consciousness. Literary Hub july 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025 This week, a dozen human rights and legal groups said that any country backing GHF could potentially be liable for complicity in war crimes. Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for complicity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicity
Noun
  • Worse, she’s being painted as a de facto Deep State operative in an administration obsessed with Deep State conspiracies lurking under every desk.
    Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2025
  • One co-conspirator was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence and faces up to 10 years in prison, The Center Square reported.
    Bethany Blankley, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • The airport denies any collusion with Uber or Lyft and maintains that all drivers, as independent contractors, must adhere to airport policies.
    Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
  • The rules were clear: no talk of pricing or anything that could be considered collusion.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • In addition, senior executives could be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect.
    Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
  • The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.
    Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Complicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicity. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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