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
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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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Recent Examples of connive
The outlet also reported that Sharon Stone might return for the franchise relaunch, after playing the conniving Catherine Tramell in the original movie and its 2006 sequel.
—
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 July 2025
The actress stars as Lois Lane, alongside David Corenswet’s titular superhero and Nicholas Hoult’s conniving Lex Luthor, in the latest adaptation of the beloved comic book series, now in theaters.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 July 2025
Tony Goldwyn got some hate for his role as the film’s villain
Tony Goldwyn recalled to the A.V. Club in 2014 that his role as the conniving, murderous Carl prompted a waitress to refuse to serve him.
—Drew MacKie, People.com, 13 July 2025
Unfortunately, an evil Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe) and a conniving alien (F. Murray Abraham) have teamed up to steal the planet’s mojo for themselves.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for connive
Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 July 2025
The actress stars as Lois Lane, alongside David Corenswet’s titular superhero and Nicholas Hoult’s conniving Lex Luthor, in the latest adaptation of the beloved comic book series, now in theaters.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 July 2025
Tony Goldwyn got some hate for his role as the film’s villain
Tony Goldwyn recalled to the A.V. Club in 2014 that his role as the conniving, murderous Carl prompted a waitress to refuse to serve him.
—Drew MacKie, People.com, 13 July 2025
Unfortunately, an evil Starfleet admiral (Anthony Zerbe) and a conniving alien (F. Murray Abraham) have teamed up to steal the planet’s mojo for themselves.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for connive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connive
Verb
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This isn’t about weakening rights or ignoring the role of guns.—
For the Carroll County Times,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
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Or Joe Biden when Putin ignored his warnings and invaded Ukraine in 2022.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At a news conference Wednesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged the two men plotted robberies over WhatsApp the day of the shooting and rode into the park on a moped at around 11:45 p.m., first targeting a 39-year-old woman sitting on a bench, grabbing her phone.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
6 Aug. 2025
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The tycoon, who is used to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him at any cost, is also secretly plotting a major decision on his daughter’s behalf.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Drew Hancock's feature directorial debut is a hell of an invigorating revenge fantasy, made all the more satisfying by its own winking self-awareness.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
30 June 2025
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Even so, more will have to be done in Rybnik and elsewhere to ensure Giba’s icy eye doesn’t wink out of existence for good.—
Skylar Knight,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
Verb
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However, the 2023 trial overseen by US District Judge James Donato revealed a pattern of scheming on Google's part to prevent the distribution of alternative app stores on Android phones.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
31 July 2025
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Meanwhile, a woman named Violet (Sharp Objects’ Eliza Scanlen, all grown up) schemes her way into a job as one of England’s first female police officers.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Connive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connive. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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