Conniving

Conniving
Connive Con*nive" (k[o^]n*n[imac]v"), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Connived} (-n[imac]vd"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Conniving}.] [L. connivere to shut the eyes, connive, fr. con- + (perh.) a word akin to nicere to beckon, nictare to wink.] 1. To open and close the eyes rapidly; to wink. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

The artist is to teach them how to nod judiciously, and to connive with either eye. --Spectator. [1913 Webster]

2. To close the eyes upon a fault; to wink (at); to fail or forbear by intention to discover an act; to permit a proceeding, as if not aware of it; -- usually followed by at. [1913 Webster]

To connive at what it does not approve. --Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

In many of these, the directors were heartily concurring; in most of them, they were encouraging, and sometimes commanding; in all they were conniving. --Burke. [1913 Webster]

The government thought it expedient, occasionally, to connive at the violation of this rule. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • conniving — index collusive, concerted, dishonest, fraudulent, insidious, machiavellian, perfidious, recreant, sly …   Law dictionary

  • conniving — 1783, prp. adj. from CONNIVE (Cf. connive). Earlier in this sense was CONNIVENT (Cf. connivent) …   Etymology dictionary

  • conniving — [[t]kəna͟ɪvɪŋ[/t]] ADJ: usu ADJ n (disapproval) If you describe someone as conniving, you mean you dislike them because they make secret plans in order to get things for themselves or harm other people. Edith was seen as a conniving, greedy woman …   English dictionary

  • conniving — con|niv|ing [kəˈnaıvıŋ] adj a conniving person secretly tries to gain something or harm someone used to show disapproval …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • conniving — adjective behaving in a way that does not prevent something wrong from happening, or actively helps it to happen: He knew all along, the conniving bastard! …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • conniving — adjective his conniving brother planned the whole dirty affair Syn: scheming, cunning, crafty, calculating, devious, wily, sly, tricky, artful, guileful; manipulative, Machiavellian, disingenuous, deceitful, underhanded, treacherous; informal… …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • conniving — /kəˈnaɪvɪŋ/ (say kuh nuyving) adjective scheming; crafty: *he s a scheming, conniving and, at times, evil man. –west australian, 1992 …  

  • conniving — adjective That connives; conspiratorial …   Wiktionary

  • conniving — Synonyms and related words: Byzantine, Machiavellian, calculating, coacting, coactive, coadjutant, coadjuvant, coefficient, collaborative, collective, collectivist, collectivistic, collusive, combined, commensal, common, communal, communalist,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • conniving — con|niv|ing [ kə naıvıŋ ] adjective dishonest in a clever way, especially in order to get something you want or in order to harm someone …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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