Connivency

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The practice of engaging in secret collaboration to commit dishonest acts
2. A situation where individuals covertly endorse or assist in unethical behavior without direct involvement
3. The act of silently agreeing with or supporting wrongdoing while remaining uninvolved

Etymology: The image at the heart of this word is a wink. Latin "connivere" meant to close the eyes or blink, and it came to mean looking the other way, pretending not to notice a fault. The Latin verb's prefix "con-" gives the sense of doing something fully or together, so the original picture is of someone shutting both eyes at once. English borrowed the idea through French, where "connivence" carried the same sense of overlooking. The "-ency" ending is a variant of the more common "connivance," formed from the Latin present participle "connivens." Both forms keep the core meaning: a deliberate refusal to see what one plainly sees, which is why the word describes wrongdoing tolerated by someone who could easily act against it.

Synonyms: collusion, conspiracy, complicity, collaboration, conspiracy

Antonyms: opposition, resistance, refusal, denunciation, disapproval