connivance

noun

kə-ˈnī-vən(t)s How to pronounce connivance (audio)
Definition of connivancenext
as in conspiracy
a secret agreement or cooperation between two parties for an illegal or dishonest purpose was able to sneak out at night with the connivance of a camp counselor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 connivance Moments of great power are interspersed with long expository stretches of clangor and connivance. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026 But widespread disgust with the mayor’s mendacity and the connivance of eight City Council members is changing the political landscape. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025 In addition, senior executives could be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect. — Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025 The arrests were part of wide-ranging Establishment attacks on the new generation of pop stars in Britain at the time, done through connivance with informers and a hostile conservative media. — Bill Wyman, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for connivance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connivance
  1. conspiracy
  2. complicity
  3. collusion
Noun
  • The attorney general’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will assume jurisdiction over the multi-circuit criminal conspiracy case against Castro.
    — Landon Mion , Lorraine Taylor, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Florida has charged Castro alone with one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of conspiracy
Noun
  • Vicarious disturbance bleeds into complicity in an era when self-representation is conflated with self-branding.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The filmmaker pushes her to admit her complicity in her crimes and Evans’ dealings, but Seyfried (as Holmes) demurs.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of complicity
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

Browse Nearby Words

conning
connivance
connivances
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Connivance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connivance. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All