complicity

noun

com·​plic·​i·​ty kəm-ˈpli-s(ə-)tē How to pronounce complicity (audio)
plural complicities
1
: association or participation in or as if in a wrongful act
arrested for complicity in the crime
2
: an instance of complicity
The two share a complicity she calls fraternal.Joan Dupont

Examples of complicity in a Sentence

There's no proof of her complicity in the murder. He acted with his brother's complicity.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Eight out of the ten defendants were found guilty of charges ranging from direct involvement to complicity in the crime, though their sentences were mostly suspended for time served. M. J. Corey, New Yorker, 24 May 2025 Demonstrations, sit-ins, and university divestment campaigns targeted America’s complicity. Time, 22 May 2025 Refresh for more…At a 78th Cannes Film Festival that’s attempting to course correct its complicity in #MeToo, down over by the Carlton Beach tonight The Better World Fund Gala handed out its Award for Excellence in Film and Television to 2x Oscar winner Kevin Spacey. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 20 May 2025 The others are charged with complicity in the heist or the unauthorized possession of a weapon. Juliette Jabkhiro, USA Today, 13 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for complicity

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French complicité, borrowed from New Latin complicitāt-, complicitās, formed from Late Latin complic-, complex "fellow-participant, partner, accomplice" and Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity, probably after Late Latin duplicitās duplicity — more at complice

Note: The formation of the word is peculiar in that Latin -itāt-, -itās, along with its descendants and borrowings, is rarely added to nouns. Outside of the dictionaries of Thomas Blount and Elisha Coles, complicity is rare to non-existent in English text before the later eighteenth century, when its adoption was probably stimulated by French complicité.

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complicity was circa 1656

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Cite this Entry

“Complicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complicity. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

complicity

noun
com·​plic·​i·​ty kəm-ˈplis-ət-ē How to pronounce complicity (audio)
plural complicities
: association or participation in a wrongful act

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