Definition

1. Verb:
   • To give one's silent approval to; to secretly allow or encourage (something wrong or illicit): The verb "connive at" describes the act of knowingly permitting or ignoring wrongdoing by not objecting to it or by failing to prevent it, often implying a passive or secret agreement.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • The manager was accused of conniving at the safety violations to save money. (The manager secretly allowed the safety rules to be broken.)
  • A government that connives at corruption will lose the people's trust. (A government that silently tolerates corrupt acts.)
  • She could not connive at her friend's dishonesty, so she reported it. (She could not silently approve of her friend's dishonest behavior.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Implied Complicity: Using "connive at" often suggests the observer has some authority or responsibility to stop the action but chooses not to, making them indirectly complicit.
  • By failing to investigate, the committee connived at the fraud.
• Distinction from Active Conspiracy: "Connive at" typically indicates passive allowance or tacit consent, whereas "connive with" someone suggests active, secret planning together.

Variants and Related Words

• Connive (verb): Often used with "with" to mean conspire or plot secretly.
  • He connived with a rival to discredit his colleague.
• Connivance (noun): The act or instance of conniving; secret agreement or passive consent.
  • The crime succeeded due to the guard's connivance.

Synonyms

• Tolerate: To allow the existence or occurrence of without interference.
• Wink at: To pretend not to see or to ignore deliberately.
• Condone: To accept or forgive an offense or wrongdoing.
• Overlook: To fail to notice or ignore indulgently.

Related Phrases and Constructions

• To turn a blind eye to: An idiomatic phrase very similar in meaning to "connive at," implying deliberate ignorance.
  • The teacher turned a blind eye to the cheating, effectively conniving at it.

Notes on Meaning

• Focus on Silent Approval: The core meaning of "connive at" is the silent, often blameworthy, acceptance of an action one should oppose. It does not require active assistance, merely the failure to act against it.

Verb

1. give one's silent approval to