complicity

noun

com·​plic·​i·​ty kəm-ˈpli-s(ə-)tē How to pronounce complicity (audio)
plural complicities
Synonyms of complicity
1
: association or participation in or as if in a wrongful act
There's no proof of his complicity in the crime.
2
: an instance of complicity
The two share a complicity she calls fraternal.—Joan Dupont

Synonyms of complicity

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Examples of complicity in a Sentence

There's no proof of her complicity in the murder. He acted with his brother's complicity.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Women Unknown — Scandinavian in both its aesthetic and precision — was always going to be about class, complicity and survival. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026 But by rooting her tale in Maya’s family ties, the writer-director explores the complicity of well-to-do South Asian diasporas, and the foundations that afford them the luxury of emigrating in the first place. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026 His younger brother Tristan, 38, was charged with complicity in the case, according to DIICOT. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 Trabue had faced charges of complicity to murder and complicity to robbery in the first degree in connection with the February 2025 shooting death of former Louisville corrections officer Michael Saye Wehdah. — Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for complicity

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French complicité, borrowed from New Latin complicitāt-, complicitās, formed from Late Latin complic-, complex "fellow-participant, partner, accomplice" and Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity, probably after Late Latin duplicitās duplicity — more at complice

Note: The formation of the word is peculiar in that Latin -itāt-, -itās, along with its descendants and borrowings, is rarely added to nouns. Outside of the dictionaries of Thomas Blount and Elisha Coles, complicity is rare to non-existent in English text before the later eighteenth century, when its adoption was probably stimulated by French complicité.

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complicity was circa 1656

Rhymes for complicity

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Browse Nearby Words

complicitous
complicity
complier
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Cite this Entry

“Complicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complicity. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

complicity

noun
com·​plic·​i·​ty kəm-ˈplis-ət-ē How to pronounce complicity (audio)
plural complicities
: association or participation in a wrongful act
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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