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
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
The Nope actress stars as Zoe, a conniving thief who plots to steal an armored truck, in the heist-comedy The Pickup.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2025
That said, as great as Olivia Colman is in The Favourite, technically speaking Emma Stone’s character, the conniving Abigail, is the real main character, driving the action forward and worming her way into the Queen’s heart (and bed).
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Brown also gave a shoutout to Julianne Nicholson, who was recently Emmy nominated for her role as the conniving billionaire Sinatra.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for connive
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
The Nope actress stars as Zoe, a conniving thief who plots to steal an armored truck, in the heist-comedy The Pickup.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 6 Aug. 2025
That said, as great as Olivia Colman is in The Favourite, technically speaking Emma Stone’s character, the conniving Abigail, is the real main character, driving the action forward and worming her way into the Queen’s heart (and bed).
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Brown also gave a shoutout to Julianne Nicholson, who was recently Emmy nominated for her role as the conniving billionaire Sinatra.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for connive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connive
Verb
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That many in the media have ignored the unit’s rise is an indictment.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Amid all its glorious and aesthetic architecture lies the massive environmental impact that cannot be ignored.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro – who was this week convicted of plotting to overturn his country’s 2022 election and sentenced to more than 27 years in jail – is far from being the first Latin American leader to run into legal trouble.—
Sofía Benavides,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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Another restructure is being plotted, with a meeting scheduled next week to discuss plans.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Scruffy City is a moniker the place holds with equal parts pride and winking good humor.—
Caroline Rogers,
Southern Living,
31 Aug. 2025
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The last ember of Rope A winked out.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Head coach Kevin O’Connell tends to scheme free releases for Jefferson, but Terrell can be sticky down the field.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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This is only Year 1, and while the Patriots are working, scheming and practicing to win every Sunday, their biggest games are well ahead of them.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Connive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connive. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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