complicit

[ kuhm-plis-it ]

/ kəmˈplɪs ɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for complicit on Thesaurus.com

adjective

choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others; having complicity.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of complicit

First recorded in 1855–60; back formation from complicity

Words nearby complicit

complicacy, complicate, complicated, complication, complice, complicit, complicity, complier, compliment, complimentary, complimentary close

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use complicit in a sentence

With his support, Reagan took action against terrorists and the states that sponsored them, including the bombing of Libya in 1986 after it was found complicit in the bombing of a Berlin disco in which two American servicemen died.
George P. Shultz, counsel and Cabinet member for two Republican presidents, dies at 100|Michael Abramowitz, David Hoffman|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
What must happen is an in-depth investigation of the Capitol Hill police, which may find some were complicit with the mob.
Harvard, Stanford, Yale: Denounce sedition of your graduates|Peter Rosenstein|January 14, 2021|Washington Blade
Others suggested that police were perhaps complicit with the insurrectionists, many of whom express pro-police beliefs.
Insurrectionists Openly Planned for Weeks to Storm the Capitol. Why Were Police So Easily Overwhelmed?|Vera Bergengruen|January 7, 2021|Time
It shows how girls are also complicit by dwelling on size themselves – and assuming that it’s linked to sexual performance and masculinity.
More Penises Are Appearing On TV And In Film – But Why Are Nearly All Of Them Prosthetic?|LGBTQ-Editor|October 10, 2020|No Straight News

Some 100,000 Christians from Mosul alone were among those who fled their homes, returning years later to live uneasily alongside Muslim residents who they saw as complicit in the attacks.
Interfaith soccer teams eased Muslim-Christian tensions — to a point|Sujata Gupta|August 13, 2020|Science News
They are both complicit in this, though my mother is the more egregious offender.
I’m a Digital Hoarder|Lizzie Crocker|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After all, doing so would make them complicit in irrationality, which is against their religion.
In Florida, ’Tis The Season for Satan|Jay Michaelson|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the age of sixteen these bad guys chase you, often under the amused and complicit watch of policemen.
Living Black & Gay in the ’50s|Alain Mabanckou|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even the five who the Nazis turned on, however, were complicit with the regime in some fashion.
Top Nazis And Their Complicated Relationship With Artists|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But my silence was not only wrong; I am complicit on some level in nurturing the “rape culture” that we see today in our country.
What Trait Do Bill Cosby’s Defenders Share?|Dean Obeidallah|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The United States could have accepted the permanent division of Europe, and been complicit in the oppression of others.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various

British Dictionary definitions for complicit

complicit

/ (ˌkɒmˈplɪsɪt) /

adjective

involved with others in reprehensible or illegal activity

Word Origin for complicit

C20: back formation from complicity

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

complicit

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of complicit

Words nearby complicit

Words related to complicit

How to use complicit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for complicit

Word Origin for complicit