1
as in to ignore
to secretly sympathize with or pretend ignorance of something improper or unlawful
the principal connived at all the school absences that were recorded on the day of the city's celebration of its Super Bowl victory
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
suspects that his coworkers are conniving to get him fired
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of connive
With Ryan O’Neal as the conniving fool who social-climbs and lies his way through war and peace, Kubrick matches perfectly paced, often-hilarious satire with a sanguine view of human selfishness and impermanence.
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Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
According to legend, the monarch, his army and conniving knights were invading the Cotswolds when a witch outsmarted them, fossilizing their bodies forever.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 3 Sep. 2025
This conniving force of darkness is pretty simple at a basic level.
—Vivian Tu, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for connive
Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
According to legend, the monarch, his army and conniving knights were invading the Cotswolds when a witch outsmarted them, fossilizing their bodies forever.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 3 Sep. 2025
This conniving force of darkness is pretty simple at a basic level.
—Vivian Tu, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for connive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connive
Verb
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Prizegivers have also in the past been accused of being snobbish, of having an anti-American bias and of ignoring some of the giants of literature, including Russia's Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, France's Emile Zola and Ireland's James Joyce.—
Simon Johnson,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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Hoping the broadcasts ignore that will always be a fruitless endeavor.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The vessel will plot an 18-day course from the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan to Felixstowe in the UK, accompanied by ice breakers.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Soon, Crusifino left The D'Angelo Family after being accused of plotting against the stable.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mesh styles made a return in pointy-toe kitten-heel pumps in neutral colors while the Babouche design was reinterpreted in a python print or black satin that winked also to comfy red carpet moments.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
8 Oct. 2025
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Musk ended the post with a winking emoji.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tim Skipper called with swagger, Jerry Neuheisel schemed like a gambler and Kevin Coyle unleashed a defense that hunted in packs.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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In London, Angelica used her private connections to elevate her husband’s public power, scheming to ensure Church’s election to Parliament in 1790.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Connive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connive. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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