as in connivance
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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
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Recent Examples of conniving
Andrew Ridker, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
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
The actress played the conniving Abby Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera for much of the '80s.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 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
The characters here, though, are nowhere near so smart as those conniving pagans and can only dream of outwitting the sophisticated folk from the mainland, coming there with their talk of cake, and comfy chairs, and their lies.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Jan. 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, 19 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
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
The actress played the conniving Abby Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera for much of the '80s.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 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
The characters here, though, are nowhere near so smart as those conniving pagans and can only dream of outwitting the sophisticated folk from the mainland, coming there with their talk of cake, and comfy chairs, and their lies.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 Jan. 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, 19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conniving
Noun
-
Individuals and groups have often accused the U.S. government of denying their rights, and some of those accusations were irrefutable—as in the century between Appomattox and Selma, when the rights of Black Americans were denied throughout the South with the connivance of Washington.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
-
But widespread disgust with the mayor’s mendacity and the connivance of eight City Council members is changing the political landscape.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The Belgian was a throwback in the most charming sense; a grinning, winking, slaloming magician who could earn the undying trust of even the most collectivist coach.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Its only fault, really, is the winking, ironic tone the narration (spoken by Liev Schreiber) sometimes takes, as if the sport isn’t quite worth the trouble the film is going through.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Once production had concluded on the first season, Ingelsby and Ruffalo felt there was still more to explore with his character and began plotting a second season arc.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2026
-
There were no allegations in the complaint that Holmes was actually plotting any violence.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Trump himself fueled much of the speculation and, in May 2017, abruptly fired the FBI director, James Comey, who was leading an investigation into the possible collusion.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
21 Mar. 2026
-
To make matters worse, in June, podcaster Pablo Torre disclosed the contents of an arbitration ruling stemming from a 2022 NFLPA collusion lawsuit that had been kept secret from the players and public.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That is it for Elena, who marches out of the galley and up the Katina’s many levels, storming past wide-eyed stews and unsuspecting guests, ignoring the fact that service has basically already started, in order to reach Jason on the sundeck.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Sable has been accused of repeatedly ignoring the directives of state and local officials, as well as committing criminal acts related to California environmental and coastal laws.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mabel quickly realizes that the glade’s inhabitants have not left of their own accord but have been pushed out by the scheming mayor, Jerry (Jon Hamm).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The jurors also absolved him of scheming to drive down the stock.—
Staff,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Investigators are examining suspicions of bribery involving a foreign public official and complicity which concerns former French diplomat Fabrice Aidan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Grossman succeeds in interrogating the very gaze his film is built upon, yet never fully escapes it, leaving the documentary caught between critique and complicity.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Tax season, savings strategies, and investment planning are all pulling at your attention, and your analytical mind is more than capable of working through the complexity.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But the strategy has perils and pitfalls.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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