conniving
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of conniving
First recorded in 1625–50; connive ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Someone conniving is calculating, scheming, and shrewd — in other words, sneaky and up to no good. Do you know anyone who is always trying to get away with things? Do they constantly look for ways to get out of trouble or work? Those kind of people are conniving. This is a word for secretive, shifty behavior. However, being conniving isn't the worst thing in the world — it's negative, but you probably wouldn't say a murderer is conniving. It's usually reserved for con men, shady business moguls, and manipulative social climbers.
Vocabulary lists containing conniving
The Cay
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Al Capone Does My Shirts
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Dear Justyce
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet, actors sign on anyway, and viewers will watch regardless, because Netflix has crafted a conniving production model that benefits the indiscriminate philistines in charge.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
SantaCon’s conniving leader gives New Yorkers another reason to hate the yearly bar crawl.
From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026
I love their coach, their quarterback, their coolness, their momentum, their journey without the conniving Bill Belichick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
The conniving producers, stagestruck backers, formidable labor organizations and long hours in grim conditions show that Shakespeare really is our contemporary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
This is not to say that he was a conniving husband.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
