connive

verb

kə-ˈnīv How to pronounce connive (audio)
Definition of connivenext
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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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 connive Produced by Guy Ritchie, MobLand stars Hardy as Harry Da Souza, the loyal fixer for the Harrigan crime family, which is led by powerful patriarch Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and his conniving wife, Maeve (Helen Mirren). — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026 Their rivals were a candid, impudent pair, the schoolgirlish Shakira and a throaty American bottle-service girl named Toni, both incapable of conniving their way into romance, prone to heartbreak, and swiftly ostracized for their overt judgment of other islanders. — Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 Daemon is one of the most clever, cunning and conniving characters in House of the Dragon, who always seems to have the upper hand. — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026 This latest trailer gives us our first glimpse of Theron’s Circe and Pattinson’s conniving Antinous, the latter intent on wooing Penelope and ruling over Ithaca in Odysseus’ stead, as well as snidely taunting Telemachus for his daddy issues. — ArsTechnica, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for connive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connive
  1. ignore
  2. plot
  3. wink
  4. scheme
Verb
  • But that didn’t stop him from taping interviews on Wednesday with various Chicago television newscasts from his downtown Chicago state office while ignoring follow-up requests from the Tribune.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Where Raphael’s infant Christ is plump, acquiescent, docile, Cassatt’s children squirm, resist, and ignore authority.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of ignore
Verb
  • The Voyagers have been skirting this dismal fate for years now, with NASA engineers carefully monitoring each spacecraft’s power supplies and plotting out when to turn off individual instruments to keep the missions going as long as possible.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While this reunion was happening, Juke was watching from a safe distance, plotting.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of plot
Verb
  • When an airless body, such as an asteroid, occults (or hides) a background star the star's light winks out in an instant, before suddenly reappearing.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The film’s mix of musical swagger, YA melodrama, and winking world-building hit a nerve, turning its core cast into fixtures for a generation that grew up streaming the soundtrack on a loop.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026
Definition of wink
Verb
  • Shanahan schemed up multiple 100-yard games for Kendrick Bourne, and even journeyman Demarcus Robinson had 111 yards in the playoffs against the Eagles — neither receiver had a 100-yard game since 2022.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 29 July 2026
  • Corey Hawkins as Polybus Polybus is another one of Penelope’s many suitors who scheme to take her hand and kingdoms for themselves.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of scheme

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Cite this Entry

“Connive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connive. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of connive for Spanish Speakers

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