as in connivance
Related Words
Relevance
1
as in winking
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plotting
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
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 conniving
Andrew Ridker, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Produced by Guy Ritchie, MobLand stars Hardy as Harry Da Souza, the loyal fixer for the Harrigan crime family, led by powerful patriarch Conrad (Brosnan) and his conniving wife, Maeve (Mirren).
—Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026
Jackson is depicted as conniving and quick to use his wealth and fame to overwhelm the family.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
That twist makes Frank both sympathetic and conniving, and Bale does a good job letting both aspects of his complex performance come through.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
The alluring but conniving Ciara (Dove Cameron) or that sexy brooder with the best wild locks ever, Oliver (Avan Jogia)?
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Whitney, one of the most smarmy, conniving characters written into the entirety of the show, was one of Micay’s favorites to bring to life through the soundtrack.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Through his conniving, Heathcliff comes to own both properties.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Her excellent work goes unappreciated, except when a conniving colleague, Donovan (Xavier Samuel), takes credit for it.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
The problem was Grossbart, whose conniving seemed to corroborate the worst stereotypes about the Jewish people — and so soon after the Shoah.
—Andrew Ridker, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
According to the footage, what awaits Rhaenyra during her reign are fearful subjects, conniving enemies, sleepless nights and plenty of anguish.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
Produced by Guy Ritchie, MobLand stars Hardy as Harry Da Souza, the loyal fixer for the Harrigan crime family, led by powerful patriarch Conrad (Brosnan) and his conniving wife, Maeve (Mirren).
—Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026
Jackson is depicted as conniving and quick to use his wealth and fame to overwhelm the family.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
That twist makes Frank both sympathetic and conniving, and Bale does a good job letting both aspects of his complex performance come through.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2026
The alluring but conniving Ciara (Dove Cameron) or that sexy brooder with the best wild locks ever, Oliver (Avan Jogia)?
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Whitney, one of the most smarmy, conniving characters written into the entirety of the show, was one of Micay’s favorites to bring to life through the soundtrack.
—Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Through his conniving, Heathcliff comes to own both properties.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Her excellent work goes unappreciated, except when a conniving colleague, Donovan (Xavier Samuel), takes credit for it.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conniving
Noun
-
In addition, senior executives could be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
-
The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media.—
Bill Wyman,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Even the people in Columbus [winking emoji].—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Dec. 2025
-
The surreal result is a representation of a chronological inbox that has Quora and Flipboard email blasts interspersed with exchanges with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and winking emails to Steve Bannon.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Kainerugaba has threatened to hang Besigye, accusing him of plotting to kill Museveni.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
-
Prosecutors accused Yoon of attempting to create a crisis with North Korea while plotting an authoritarian power grab aimed at removing political opponents and consolidating control.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
But Campbell has a point; legally, those trying to ban the Red Raiders from the playoff, or refusing, en masse, to schedule them, could be subject to accusations of collusion.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Selective non-prosecution of antitrust cases will lead to anticompetitive mergers, collusion between competitors, and monopoly abuses.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Unfortunately, sometimes the brain is too efficient, leading us to cling to false information and unproductive habits while ignoring information that could clearly benefit us.—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, poor Sol is blithely ignoring Jen’s warning that Sincere seemed to switch up on Melanie awfully quick and that Sincere and Melanie are very in sync.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The House of the Dragon alum stars in The Girlfriend (under the direction of costar Robin Wright) as a scheming social climber who aims to seduce a naive trust fund heir, against his mother's wishes.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
-
When the sheriff hangs Hugh after a convoluted plot involving an ever-scheming Huntingdon, and Hugh’s wife dies from grief, their son, Robert (Jack Patten), is left unsure of his place in the world.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Fictions may be sublimations, places to hide outrage or grief or guilt, or to talk about complicity, which by its nature cannot be spoken of.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
In 2025, two Centennial nursing home staffers were arrested and charged with criminal negligence, complicity, and abusing an at-risk adult after allegedly covering up details about how a 92-year-old woman with dementia in their care suffered a broken leg.—
Sponsored Content,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
My strategy was to come in and play like the super messy black hole.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Aside from understanding the neuroscience behind cannabis habits, a fuller picture may help inform responsible drug usage, as well as prevention and treatment strategies.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
