1
as in to ignore
to secretly sympathize with or pretend ignorance of something improper or unlawful
the principal connived at all the school absences that were recorded on the day of the city's celebration of its Super Bowl victory
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
suspects that his coworkers are conniving to get him fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of connive
Gollum feels some guilt, finally Photo: New Line Cinema
Serkis does a fantastic job in The Two Towers bouncing back and forth between the aggressive and conniving Gollum and the needy and sniveling Smeagol as the creature grows close to Frodo but is also increasingly drawn to the One Ring.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
Benji’s older brother, Tom (Jack Reynor), is an blowhard bro barely kept in line by his conniving wife, Abby (Dakota Fanning).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
On House of the Dragon Needham plays another conniving character, Master of Whispers, Larys Strong.
13 of 15
Sonoya Mizuno
Sonoya Mizuno's big-screen debut was in the cinematic juggernaut that was 2014's Ex Machina (above).
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2024
The confirmation that Lady Ochiba was more or less a prisoner in Edo shows just how conniving Toranaga can be.
—Jesse Raub, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for connive 
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
Benji’s older brother, Tom (Jack Reynor), is an blowhard bro barely kept in line by his conniving wife, Abby (Dakota Fanning).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
On House of the Dragon Needham plays another conniving character, Master of Whispers, Larys Strong.
13 of 15
Sonoya Mizuno
Sonoya Mizuno's big-screen debut was in the cinematic juggernaut that was 2014's Ex Machina (above).
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2024
The confirmation that Lady Ochiba was more or less a prisoner in Edo shows just how conniving Toranaga can be.
—Jesse Raub, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for connive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connive
Verb
-
For someone to single out sports betting as uniquely damaging is disingenuous and ignores the broader context of how Americans allocate discretionary income.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
-
Spider-Man is too big a property, with far too much potential and too many fantastic stories to tell, for Sony to ignore the value of any property for long, regardless of the shelving of the SSU for now.Mark Hughes, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
They are inspired by the real-life radical leader Robert Jay Mathews, played by Nicholas Hoult, and are plotting a war against the U.S. government.Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 1 Dec. 2024
-
Soon, the two were plotting their second collaboration, which began with the major challenge of adapting the Beat Generation writer for the screen — a feat only undertaken a few times.Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Whatever the noble title, Cronenberg wore the moniker with the same winking irony that suffuses so much of his work – using genre as a kind of Trojan horse to get his unique vision to travel.Ben Croll, Variety, 1 Dec. 2024
-
Thankfully, though, Hammel keeps all of her film’s moving parts intact, reveling in distaste with a sly smile and a winking grin.Samantha Allen, Them, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
The Duke of Sussex's narrative that his stepmother schemed to undermine him and Meghan while boosting herself has been explored by a hard-hitting new documentary in Britain.Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
-
Instead, there’s an eventual pileup of scheming contrivances that require us to believe a character painted all along as sweetly uncomplicated was really harboring the deviousness of a criminal mastermind.Dennis Harvey, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near connive
Cite this Entry
“Connive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connive. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share