conniving
Definition
- Adjective:
- Acting in a scheming, deceitful, or manipulative way: Describes a person who secretly plans or conspires, often for selfish or dishonest purposes.
- Cooperating secretly for a fraudulent or illegal purpose: Describes individuals or groups working together in a hidden, underhanded manner to achieve a dishonest goal.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The conniving politician was finally exposed for his backroom deals.
- She gave him a conniving smile, knowing her plan was working perfectly.
- The two conniving employees were caught stealing from the company.
Advanced Usage
- "to be conniving": to habitually engage in secret scheming.
- He is not just ambitious; he is deeply conniving and cannot be trusted.
- "conniving nature/ways": a characteristic of being deceitful and scheming.
- Her success was due more to her conniving ways than to her talent.
Variants and Related Words
- Connive (verb): To secretly allow something wrong to happen or to cooperate secretly in an illegal or wrongful act.
- The guard was accused of conniving in the prisoner's escape.
- Connivance (noun): The act of conniving; secret cooperation or consent.
- The fraud occurred with the connivance of a senior manager.
Synonyms
- Scheming: Making secret and clever plans to achieve an aim, often a dishonest one.
- Devious: Showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals.
- Cunning: Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.
Related Phrases
- In cahoots (with someone): In close, often secret, partnership or league, typically for a dishonest purpose.
- The two companies were in cahoots to fix the prices.
- Backstabbing: The act of saying harmful or unpleasant things about a person when they are not present.
- The office was full of backstabbing and conniving behavior.
Related Idioms
- A snake in the grass: A deceitful or treacherous person.
- Be careful of him; he's a real snake in the grass.
- Play a deep game: To act in a very secretive and cunning way.
- The spy was known for playing a deep game.
Adjective
-
used of persons
-
the most calculating and selfish men in the community
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-
acting together in secret toward a fraudulent or illegal end
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