complicit
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of complicit
First recorded in 1855–60; back formation from complicity
Compare meaning
How does complicit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you're complicit, you're guilty of being involved in some underhanded or illegal activity. If you see your brother steal the neighbor's cat and don't say anything, you're complicit in a catnapping! Whenever someone makes it easier for a crime or wrongdoing to be committed, they're complicit in it. A getaway driver may not have actually robbed a bank, but she's still complicit in the crime of robbery because she helped the robber. And you may not be responsible for taking the neighbor's cat, but if you suggested to your brother that nobody would notice if he did (and promised not to tell), you're completely complicit!
Vocabulary lists containing complicit
Founding Brothers
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for January 9–15, 2021
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Banned Book Club
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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.
Outside of their destroying the concept of privacy, or being complicit in its destruction, they are colossally insignificant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
"We will not be complicit in something that is harmful to the world and contrary to our values and interests, simply out of fear of retaliation," he added in a televised address.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
In this, they become complicit through tacit consent.
From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026
Many Americans, including Trump’s supporters, have long demanded the records, in part to assess whether other powerful men were complicit or involved in the abuse.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026
“When boys became men, they were told the truth. Or a version of it, anyway. And then they were made complicit themselves.”
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
