connive
[ kuh-nahyv ]
/ kəˈnaɪv /
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verb (used without object), con·nived, con·niv·ing.
to cooperate secretly; conspire (often followed by with): They connived to take over the business.
to avoid noticing something that one is expected to oppose or condemn; give aid to wrongdoing by forbearing to act or speak (usually followed by at): The policeman connived at traffic violations.
to be indulgent toward something others oppose or criticize (usually followed by at): to connive at childlike exaggerations.
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Origin of connive
OTHER WORDS FROM connive
con·niv·er, nouncon·niv·ing·ly, adverbun·con·nived, adjectiveun·con·niv·ing, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH connive
connive , conspireDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use connive in a sentence
Now, you have to show Bill or lose your reputation as a 'conniver.'
The Woodcraft Girls at Camp|Lillian Elizabeth RoyNo man dared contradict or oppose him, lest he should be denounced as a conniver of the plot, and arrested as a traitor.
Royalty Restored|J. Fitzgerald MolloyHe is a drinker of strong wines, a conniver at evil for bribes: for a good sum he would teach "a felon"
That man was the most talented conniver at stratagems I ever saw.
The Gentle Grafter|O. Henry
British Dictionary definitions for connive
connive
/ (kəˈnaɪv) /
verb (intr)
to plot together, esp secretly; conspire
(foll by at) law to give assent or encouragement (to the commission of a wrong)
Derived forms of connive
conniver, nounconnivingly, adverbWord Origin for connive
C17: from French conniver, from Latin connīvēre to blink, hence, leave uncensured; -nīvēre related to nictāre to wink
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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