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
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
But the setting isn’t, say, a fairy tale village or a mermaid kingdom under the sea, to point at two Disney classics the film gives winking reference to.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
-
Wilson’s approach to public life clearly has an element of what professional wrestlers call kayfabe—the winking, performative trollishness that now characterizes the online right.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
All the men were accused of plotting in South Florida and hiring a squad of former Colombian soldiers to violently overthrow Haiti’s president in a coup scheme that turned from his ouster to his assassination a couple of weeks before his death.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
-
Sure, Bad Bunny could be plotting a merch drop related to his current Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour, but the items listed aren’t typical apparel, like a t-shirt or baseball hat.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Pro-democracy advocate Lai, founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, was convicted in December for collusion with foreign forces, endangering national security, and conspiracy to publish seditious materials.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
French media giant Canal+ is facing an early test in Africa after its $2 billion acquisition of MultiChoice, with the South African pay TV group preparing to face antitrust regulators over decade-old allegations of collusion.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Common laundry habits — ignoring dryer vent buildup, leaving wet clothes in the washer, using hot water on everything and skipping the washing machine gasket — can damage appliances, ruin fabrics and even create a fire risk.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
Among other things, ABC argued that it was being singled out for regulatory action while ignoring radio talk shows, which also are covered by the rule, and routinely feature candidates.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Fans are already scheming how this might happen — whether Kahan releases a deluxe version of The Great Divide and Bridgers appears, or something else entirely.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
9 May 2026
-
One word came up repeatedly in a federal courtroom in Kansas City, Kansas, on Wednesday as the government laid out its case in the racketeering conspiracy trial of former Boilermakers executives accused of scheming to steal $20 million in union funds.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Something is going on in 2026 where a left-wing party that finds political support, in part, by expressing opposition to what Israel is doing, and the complicity of Western countries in what Israel is doing, is also going to attract people who are posting this kind of stuff.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
The Committee for the First Amendment is a group of artists and storytellers standing together to defend free expression against government repression and industry complicity, launched in October with a statement from Fonda and more than 550 supporters from across Hollywood.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The strategy has already proven effective for other retail categories.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
The real test is whether those investments are pursued as isolated initiatives or as parts of one coherent strategy for managing growth in volatility while earning customer trust.—
Marcus Balzereit,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
