complicity

[kuhm-plis-i-tee]

noun

plural

complicities 

1. the state of being an accomplice; partnership or involvement in wrongdoing.

   complicity in a crime.

   Synonyms: connivance, implication, intrigue, collusion

complicity

/ kəmˈplɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the fact or condition of being an accomplice, esp in a criminal act

2. a less common word for complexity

Other Word Forms

• complicitous adjective
• noncomplicity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of complicity¹

1650–60; < Late Latin complic-, stem of complex complice + -ity

Example Sentences

Graff’s elegy for America leads to a core question about moral accountability and complicity: When you look in the mirror each morning, who do you see?

From Salon

It said in a statement that the interruption was in rejection to "Zionist funding, censorship and complicity in our cultural institutions" over the Gaza war, including the MSO and the BBC.

From BBC

But their complicity also has a lot to do with Maxwell’s gender.

From Salon

“This is a painful reminder for us that we must continue to boycott the Home Depot due to their complicity to the ICE raids at their stores,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

When it announced the protest, Defend Our Juries said: "Together, in numbers, we will stand against UK complicity in Israel's genocide."

From BBC

Related Words

• collaboration 
• collusion 
• connivance 
• guilt 
• involvement 
• manipulation