English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
verb

connive

Connive (verb) means to secretly cooperate with other people in order to commit a crime or other wrongdoing; to collude, to conspire.

verb
1
To secretly cooperate with other people in order to commit a crime or other wrongdoing; to collude, to conspire.
2
Of parts of a plant: to be converging or in close contact; to be connivent.
3
Often followed by at: to pretend to be ignorant of something in order to escape blame; to ignore or overlook a fault deliberately.
4
To open and close the eyes rapidly; to wink.
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “connive” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Etymology

From French conniver (“to ignore and thus become complicit in wrongdoing”), or directly from its etymon Latin con(n)īvēre (“close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink; overlook, turn a blind eye, connive”) (perhaps alluding to two persons involved in a scheme together winking to each other), from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) + *nīvēre (related to nictō (“to blink, wink”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneygʷʰ- (“to bend, droop”)).

Rhymes for connive

See all rhymes for connive →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of connive?

"connive" (verb) means to secretly cooperate with other people in order to commit a crime or other wrongdoing; to collude, to conspire.

What are the different meanings of connive?

"connive" has 3 main meanings: 1. To secretly cooperate with other people in order to commit a crime or other wrongdoing; to collude, to conspire; 2. Of parts of a plant: to be converging or in close contact; to be connivent; 3. Often followed by at: to pretend to be ignorant of something in order to escape blame; to ignore or overlook a fault deliberately.

Definitions from wiktionary, CC BY-SA · etymology from Wiktionary