complicity

noun

kəm-ˈpli-s(ə-)tē How to pronounce complicity (audio)
Definition of complicitynext
as in conspiracy
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose the two major auction houses acting in complicity to drive up the prices of art works

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example 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 complicity Thomas Litsey, 60, was charged with tampering with physical evidence (complicity). — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2026 Above all, there are the accusations that his personal choices have been driven by his alleged complicity in the cult-like practices of the Church of Scientology. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2026 Neither the company nor the loan officer have been accused of any complicity in the scam. — Emily Elconin For Cnn, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026 The production tracks the world’s richest woman returning to her bankrupt hometown with a billion-dollar rescue offer — on the condition that citizens execute her former lover — testing communal morality, complicity and corruption. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for complicity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for complicity
  1. conspiracy
  2. collusion
  3. connivance
Noun
  • Corruption schemes The first indictment, filed in Miami in 2019, accuses Pulido and Saab of participating in a money laundering conspiracy involving a Venezuelan government contract to build low-income housing.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Orphaned, the children are taken in by their irreverent aunt Berta, and begin a new life in the big city in a house frequented by intellectuals and where all kinds of political conspiracies are hatched.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Noun
  • During the Senate hearing, Dan Meyer, a Vice President of Pierce Manufacturing, was asked about allegations of collusion among the makers of fire apparatus.
    — Jeff Nguyen, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In Japan, this has meant not only a great deal of collusion between yakuza gangs and law enforcement but also considerable overlap between crime and politics—especially, though not exclusively, right-wing politics.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of collusion
Noun
  • There was no moon that evening, a detail, Shawn’s mother would later say, when arguing with his father about whether the man was dangerous or not, that was clearly not a coincidence, and showed careful consideration and connivance on his part.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Or was the whole thing a connivance and Mitzi Blinkhorn always destined to win, thanks to some Machiavellian manipulation behind the scenes?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of connivance

Browse Nearby Words

complicities
complicity
complied
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Cite this Entry

“Complicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/complicity. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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