What does connivance mean?
Connivance is a formal noun denoting secret or tacit participation in wrongdoing — most often the willingness of someone in authority to overlook, permit, or quietly assist misconduct they have a duty to prevent. It carries a strongly disapproving connotation: to be accused of connivance implies culpable blindness, a deliberate closing of the eyes to what should not be tolerated. The word derives from the Latin connivere, meaning literally to shut the eyes, which captures its essence precisely. In modern usage connivance appears chiefly in legal, journalistic, and political writing, often in phrases such as 'with the connivance of' or 'in connivance with'. It is closely related to complicity and collusion, though it can shade toward the more passive role of permitting evil rather than actively conspiring. For writers, connivance offers an elegant, precise way to name the quiet enabling of corruption.
nounThe act or state of secretly assisting, allowing, or ignoring wrongdoing by another, especially through tacit consent rather than open participation; willing cooperation in another's illicit or improper conduct.
- Secret or tacit cooperation with, or deliberate overlooking of, wrongdoing — especially by someone in authority who allows it to proceed.
- (Less common) The act of scheming or plotting together with others.
"The smuggling operation could not have survived without the connivance of customs officials."
"The fraud went undetected for years, aided by the connivance of senior accountants."
"He escaped across the border, it was said, with the connivance of a bribed guard."
Rarely pluralised; the noun is usually treated as uncountable or used in the singular.
"The report catalogued the regime's many connivances in regional corruption."
Connivance literally comes from the Latin for 'shutting the eyes' — the word itself describes looking away while something bad happens.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of connivance
Connivance entered English in the early 17th century from the Latin verb connivere, formed from com- ('together') plus nictare/nicare, meaning to wink or blink — literally 'to shut the eyes.' The image is telling: a person who connives figuratively winks at wrongdoing, pretending not to see what they could act upon. Its English derivatives include the verb connive and the adjective conniving, all sharing this root.
Related word forms
How connivance is actually used
Connivance is formal and almost always carries strong disapproval; it is used chiefly in legal, journalistic, and political contexts to suggest culpable passivity. It frequently appears with 'of' (the connivance of officials) or 'in' (in connivance with).
Easily confused with connivance
Collusion typically implies active secret agreement between parties for fraudulent purposes, whereas connivance can be more passive — a deliberate shutting of the eyes to wrongdoing one could prevent.