1
as in to ignore
to secretly sympathize with or pretend ignorance of something improper or unlawful
the principal connived at all the school absences that were recorded on the day of the city's celebration of its Super Bowl victory
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2
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
suspects that his coworkers are conniving to get him fired
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of connive
Our central characters fall neatly into easy tropes: insecure aging starlet, conniving sexpot, and misogynistic bigwig pig.
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Abby Monteil, Them, 20 Sep. 2024
Gollum feels some guilt, finally Photo: New Line Cinema
Serkis does a fantastic job in The Two Towers bouncing back and forth between the aggressive and conniving Gollum and the needy and sniveling Smeagol as the creature grows close to Frodo but is also increasingly drawn to the One Ring.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
Benji’s older brother, Tom (Jack Reynor), is an blowhard bro barely kept in line by his conniving wife, Abby (Dakota Fanning).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
On House of the Dragon Needham plays another conniving character, Master of Whispers, Larys Strong.
13 of 15
Sonoya Mizuno
Sonoya Mizuno's big-screen debut was in the cinematic juggernaut that was 2014's Ex Machina (above).
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for connive 
Abby Monteil, Them, 20 Sep. 2024
Gollum feels some guilt, finally Photo: New Line Cinema
Serkis does a fantastic job in The Two Towers bouncing back and forth between the aggressive and conniving Gollum and the needy and sniveling Smeagol as the creature grows close to Frodo but is also increasingly drawn to the One Ring.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
Benji’s older brother, Tom (Jack Reynor), is an blowhard bro barely kept in line by his conniving wife, Abby (Dakota Fanning).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2024
On House of the Dragon Needham plays another conniving character, Master of Whispers, Larys Strong.
13 of 15
Sonoya Mizuno
Sonoya Mizuno's big-screen debut was in the cinematic juggernaut that was 2014's Ex Machina (above).
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for connive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for connive
Verb
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An important social context to Rickey can’t be ignored.Marcus Thompson II, The Athletic, 25 Dec. 2024
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But should investors really be ignoring small caps in 2025?Bret Kenwell, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The case, and another one charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, have both been dismissed by the Justice Department special counsel that brought them in light of Trump's November victory.Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 12 Dec. 2024
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As the trailer revealed, Aleksei becomes the Rhino, plotting to take over Nikolai’s empire and kill Kraven.David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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That extends beyond winking recommendations, down to nuts-and-bolts prep and bringing his full self to each and every day.Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 13 Dec. 2024
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The tone, immediately, is one of absurd, winking excess.Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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But the biggest threats come from billionaire corporate land developers and scheming local government officials, eager to get their greedy hands on all that gorgeous acreage to build casinos, resort hotels, golf courses, and the like.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
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In the past, Yellowstone characters have pulled off relatively elaborate acts of subterfuge and scheming with multilayered plans that need lots of arguing and surprise twists and time — like, several episodes’ worth of time.Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near connive
Cite this Entry
“Connive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/connive. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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