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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In Minnesota, a man was sentenced to life in prison for plotting the murder of a real estate agent in part by luring her to a bogus showing.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, Cam is quietly plotting to reclaim his post, turning every misstep into ammunition.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The report, originally produced under then-Chairman Devin Nunes, examined the intelligence community’s handling of Russian collusion claims.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Some Democrats argue that the cost of ignoring young male voters is higher than the risk of association with Piker.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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But here’s the thing — ignoring your gutters is one of the fastest ways to turn a free weekend project into a budget-wrecking emergency repair.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The other is the tale of an A-list actress, aided by some of the biggest celebrities in the world who include husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift, scheming to rip away control of a director’s passion project and destroy his reputation.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
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Former City Councilwoman Tiawana Brown’s daughter admitted to scheming with her family to use fake documents and steal pandemic relief money from the federal government.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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One individual was also charged with complicity, and another was charged with resisting arrest, the department said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
-
A lot of the Mustangs’ strategy against the Wolverines was to get the ball out wide and then double that kid and just try to frustrate Wakeland which Grapevine did time and time again.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Leo, who studied canon law, has spent much of his first eleven months in office assessing the Vatican internally, like a new chief executive getting to know a firm’s culture before initiating strategies for optimal performance.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conniving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conniving. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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