CONNIVES Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

connives

verb

present tense third-person singular of connive

as in winks

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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as in plots

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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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 connives Helen of Troy, whose abduction started the Trojan war, and her sister Clytemnestra, who connives to murder her husband Agamemnon. — Jim Beckerman, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for connives

Verb

When new employee Theint (Nandar Myint Lwin) tells a white lie to cover for her after an unauthorized bathroom break, San Kyi’s face turns positively radiant with gratitude, while Teint merely winks in response.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 July 2026
The film, from director Susanne Bier, opens September 11, and the first teaser showed the old house that was rebuilt meticulously, as well as the two Owens sisters getting up to a whole lot of witchy stuff and some sly winks.

— Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of winks

Verb

The true Daeron now graduates to a speaking role with the release of episode 4, as the scheming head of House Hightower now plots to put the young royal on the Iron Throne.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
While Burnham plots his next move, the UK government now enters a new period of uncertainty, potentially facing a sixth prime minister in seven years.

— Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Definition of plots

Verb

So while the film, on one hand, ignores the political perspective of its victims — including Khalra — its wide-spanning rebuttal to government overreach becomes more palatable to mass audiences in the process.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 July 2026
By and large, the General Assembly mocks his policy proposals and ignores his leadership.

— Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026

Definition of ignores

Verb

Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash.

— Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Joy Randolph, follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who schemes to sell a dead man as art at Art Basel in Miami.

— Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026

Definition of schemes

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“Connives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connives. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of connives

verb

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