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
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 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
Charlie Cale is looking for a new home to sniff out the bulls--- of those conniving criminals.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 2025
Through Laura’s protective eyes, this striver who has gotten her claws into Daniel is conniving, hypersexual, possibly a thief, definitely a liar.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
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
But Wuthering Heights sure does position Nelly as conniving and manipulative.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 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
Charlie Cale is looking for a new home to sniff out the bulls--- of those conniving criminals.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Nov. 2025
Through Laura’s protective eyes, this striver who has gotten her claws into Daniel is conniving, hypersexual, possibly a thief, definitely a liar.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
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
-
In the film’s first trailer, its biting energy is on full display, as its winking humor.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Another two-bedroom co-op, which also happens to be within winking distance of one of the best coffee shops in the neighborhood.—
Katie McDonough,
Curbed,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Unsurprisingly the two are already plotting more projects together.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The 54-year-old entertainer made such an impression on viewers during his on-air stint at the 2024 Summer Olympics that NBC execs had already begun plotting to bring him back for the Milan Games well before the torch was extinguished in Paris.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Earlier versions of this technology were announced in 2018 by Qualcomm and showed how integrating advanced semiconductors can level up cars by adding collusion avoidance and emergency brake alerts.—
Noelle Harff,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Mohammadi had been serving 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran’s government.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This authoritarian apparatus has relied on mass killings to ensure its survival while ignoring the basic and inalienable rights of citizens—including the fundamental right to seek change in the political system.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Similar to Gray’s case, the Crumbleys were charged for ignoring warning signs that their children could be capable of violence and allowing their children access to guns.—
Jozsef Papp,
AJC.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The clinic also was accused in a whistleblower lawsuit of scheming to illegally solicit kickbacks from doctors and defraud federal health programs.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Playing the harried mother of Macauley Culkin’s scheming son Kevin, O’Hara became a generation of moviegoers’ ideal image of a loving, concerned matriarch.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
My next feature will explore the emotional violence of silence against women – the things left unsaid, the complicity of those who look away.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The director wants viewers to leave questioning institutional complicity.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jim's stock market commentary , market analysis , stock pick breakdowns , and Club Members' Mailbag offer an MBA-caliber finance education that is easy to absorb and apply to your personal investing strategies.—
,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Now, platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox are testing out a similar strategy but leaning into low-budget, soapy series, instead.—
Lauren Wilson,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
