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
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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
as in connivance
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conniving
Judy Berman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Somehow, the upper hand never lingers long with Sally and Barnaby, drolly played by Gunning and Corden as a conniving Tweedledee and Tweedledum, loyal to no one and convinced their venality is justified by their father’s history of terrible parenting.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Each episode was guaranteed to feature a conniving scheme, a shocking betrayal, and some steamy-for-its-time smooching.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
This conniving force of darkness is pretty simple at a basic level.
—Vivian Tu, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Somehow, the upper hand never lingers long with Sally and Barnaby, drolly played by Gunning and Corden as a conniving Tweedledee and Tweedledum, loyal to no one and convinced their venality is justified by their father’s history of terrible parenting.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Each episode was guaranteed to feature a conniving scheme, a shocking betrayal, and some steamy-for-its-time smooching.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
This conniving force of darkness is pretty simple at a basic level.
—Vivian Tu, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Feeling profoundly betrayed and abandoned by David, Rebecca’s loyalty lies with the vicious and conniving Juno, the only family she’s known for the last decade.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conniving
Verb
-
Scruffy City is a moniker the place holds with equal parts pride and winking good humor.—
Caroline Rogers,
Southern Living,
31 Aug. 2025
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And these aren’t just winking cameos meant to elicit knowing nods; Rogen and Goldberg turn many of them into genuinely funny performances.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Legal woes Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro was just convicted of plotting to overturn an election and sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
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In 2022, in Los Angeles, political leaders were exposed for plotting to carve up districts in backroom deals.—
Bernadette Suarez,
Oc Register,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Or secretly despise his own connivance?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
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In addition, senior executives could be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Congress and state legislatures should investigate and hold the FDA accountable for ignoring overwhelming evidence of harm.—
Lila Rose,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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For CEOs whose decisions can alter markets and shape legacies, ignoring its impact is a costly mistake.—
Julian Hayes II,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is only Year 1, and while the Patriots are working, scheming and practicing to win every Sunday, their biggest games are well ahead of them.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
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Is Cherry a scheming social climber?—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Droney found there was no collusion, saying league officials presenting economic information to owners is not indicative of collusion.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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In the United Kingdom, regulators warned that AI systems used in energy markets could unintentionally enable tacit collusion between suppliers.—
Gopinath Kathiresan,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Trump’s accelerationist instincts, the zeal of his fan base, and the complicity, cowardice, and inaction of the Democratic Party in the face of the governing Republican trifecta made the possibility of a military dictatorship in the United States seem borderline plausible.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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Instead, Simms gave Houck life in prison, with the additional five years for his complicity to tampering with physical evidence charge running concurrently.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
To learn more about the interim pintail strategy, visit the Fish and Wildlife website.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
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Many SMBs are also exploring external partnerships as part of their strategy—not as a replacement for internal responsibility, but as a way to extend their capabilities.—
Ro'ee Margalit,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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