connive
/kə'naiv/
Definition
- Verb:
- To secretly allow or assist in wrongdoing, often by ignoring or failing to prevent it.
- To cooperate secretly, especially in something illegal or underhanded; to conspire.
Usage
The verb "connive" is typically used in formal or legal contexts. It often implies a passive or indirect form of cooperation through deliberate inaction. It is commonly followed by the preposition "at" or "with." - Connive at something: To secretly allow or ignore a wrongdoing. - Connive with someone: To conspire or plot secretly with someone.
Examples
- Connive at:
- The officials were accused of conniving at the corruption within the department.
- He could not connive at such dishonesty, so he reported it.
- Connive with:
- The security guard connived with the thieves to rob the warehouse.
- They were found to have connived with competitors to fix prices.
Advanced Usage
- "To connive in": This is a less common but acceptable construction, similar to "connive at," meaning to be involved in a secret or underhanded plan.
- She was suspected of conniving in the fraud scheme.
Variants and Related Words
- Connivance (noun): The act of conniving; secret cooperation or consent.
- The crime was committed with the connivance of a senior manager.
- Conniving (adjective): Describing someone who is given to or involved in connivance; scheming.
- He gave her a conniving smile, knowing their secret plan.
Synonyms
- Conspire: To plan together secretly to commit an unlawful or wrongful act.
- Collude: To cooperate in a secret or unlawful way to deceive or gain an advantage over others.
- Condone: To accept or allow (behavior that is considered wrong) to continue.
- Wink at: To pretend not to notice (something bad or illegal); to ignore tacitly.
Antonyms
- Prevent: To stop something from happening.
- Oppose: To actively resist or refuse to go along with.
- Expose: To reveal the truth about a secret or crime.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "To turn a blind eye": This idiom is conceptually similar to "connive at," meaning to pretend not to notice something bad.
- The manager turned a blind eye to the safety violations, effectively conniving at them.
Verb
-
form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner
-
encourage or assent to illegally or criminally
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