connive
Americanverb (used without object)
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to cooperate secretly; conspire (often followed bywith ).
They connived to take over the business.
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to avoid noticing something that one is expected to oppose or condemn; give aid to wrongdoing by forbearing to act or speak (usually followed byat ).
The policeman connived at traffic violations.
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to be indulgent toward something others oppose or criticize (usually followed byat ).
to connive at childlike exaggerations.
verb
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to plot together, esp secretly; conspire
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(foll by at) law to give assent or encouragement (to the commission of a wrong)
Other Word Forms
- conniver noun
- connivingly adverb
- unconnived adjective
- unconniving adjective
Etymology
Origin of connive
1595–1605; (< French conniver ) < Latin co ( n ) nīvēre to close the eyes in sleep, turn a blind eye, equivalent to con- con- + -nīvēre, akin to nictāre to blink ( nictitate )
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.
It stars Brian Cox as the Roy family patriarch and Jeremy Strong as one of his children, who connive to succeed their father as the company’s leader.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2023
Actually, she doesn't and she will manipulate, exploit and connive anyone without giving it a second thought if it serves her best interests.
From Salon • Aug. 17, 2022
Anaheim has no such duty, and the First Amendment has no exemption allowing communities to connive at impeding speech that does not “reflect” the community’s values.
From Washington Post • Jul. 21, 2021
Their claims have been amplified in recent weeks, as the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal revealed how well-off families connive to get kids into selective colleges.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2019
Can we with any proper sense of propriety and right connive at falsehood and uphold and strengthen it by our silence and cowardly negligence in failing to expose it?
From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.
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.
