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
-
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 novel’s omniscient narrator can barely conceal their exasperation, relaying key details like place and time with a winking mix of hostility and resignation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
The scents come in glass bottles with a retro appeal and details winking to the house’s couture tradition, such as the metal logo intertwining with a safety pin and a vintage-looking pear pump sprayer adorned with the fabrics of the ateliers.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
In 2025, Vallow Daybell was handed two more consecutive life sentences after being convicted in Arizona for earlier plotting to kill her fourth husband and attempting to murder her niece's ex-husband.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
-
He was also accused at the same trial of plotting separately with two school friends to carry out a solo attack earlier in 2024 in separate Middle Eastern cities.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
One way to break the collusion, and perhaps the best way, is to make sure that every citizen has a working knowledge of the working days of his hardest-working fellows.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
-
Bid rigging and collusion among contractors can also become an issue.—
Meily Perez,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
That’s how Ciara found out that Amanda was spending so much time at West’s house while ignoring her calls.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
Other Democrats argued that the plan does nothing for renters and noted that Republicans were ignoring high homeowners insurance rates, which are causing financial stress to more people.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Lesley Manville plays the scheming Marquise de Merteuil.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
In 2018, Nafis added a row of dahlias to the vegetable garden in her backyard and was soon scheming a way to create a cut-flower farm without leaving the city.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
But having begun collaborating with Gran Tierra in 2019, the foundation has now been accused of complicity in sportswashing — using football to redirect attention away from unethical activity.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Barbara was charged with complicity to murder, complicity to tampering with physical evidence and complicity to abuse of a corpse.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
No matter the motivation or trading strategy, going short is a bet that a stock will decline in price.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
In general, Stearns’ strategy is a wise one.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
