1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connives
Verb
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The hotel itself is a rhapsody in clean, modern design that subtly winks to the legion efforts behind it.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Jan. 2026 -
But when the lights go off and consciousness winks out, another, deeper process goes to work.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For cyclists, the Coastal Bike Trail plots out a route to see the city and the harbor on two wheels.—
Carolyn Heller,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The teacher then plots revenge by secretly staging the most wildly inappropriate musical imaginable to sabotage the principal’s bid for academic glory.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Importantly, the survey also points to a potential de-escalator that Carlson ignores.—
Robert Pape,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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If someone ignores your text, try asking a follow-up question (or calling them, because tone may travel poorly over screens).—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Chalamet embodies Marty’s arrant showmanship with an evident joy in performance, exactly as Marty himself schemes not only shamelessly but jubilantly.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Connives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connives. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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