connivance

or con·niv·ence

[ kuh-nahy-vuhns ]
See synonyms for connivance on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of conniving.

  2. Law.

    • tacit encouragement or assent (without participation) to wrongdoing by another.

    • the consent by a person to a spouse's conduct, especially adultery, that is later made the basis of a divorce proceeding or other complaint.

Origin of connivance

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier connivence, from French or directly from Latin connīventia; see origin at connive, -ence, -ance

Other words from connivance

  • non·con·niv·ance, noun
  • non·con·niv·ence, noun

Words Nearby connivance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use connivance in a sentence

  • On Tuesday, Russia called the upsurge in protests “connivance by Western politicians and European structures.”

  • He fancied this would not have happened without her connivance, and she seemed graver than usual when he stood by her chair.

    Winston of the Prairie | Harold Bindloss
  • All our leaders would lose their heads if a single imprudent act allowed their connivance with the queen-mother to be seen.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • The darkness was profound for a moment: the lightnings paused—a sort of sinister connivance.

    Toilers of the Sea | Victor Hugo
  • With the connivance of a corrupt police force, Tim can even ruin him on a trumped-up charge.

    The Old World in the New | Edward Alsworth Ross
  • The current belief was that his preferment was disgrace for connivance at communications between him and Cobham.

    Sir Walter Ralegh | William Stebbing

British Dictionary definitions for connivance

connivance

/ (kəˈnaɪvəns) /


noun
  1. the act or fact of conniving

  2. law the tacit encouragement of or assent to another's wrongdoing, esp (formerly) of the petitioner in a divorce suit to the respondent's adultery

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012