collusive
Scheming together deceptively
Collusive describes secret cooperation for dishonest or illegal purposes.
Collusive behavior involves parties who appear independent but are actually working together to deceive others: collusive bidding, collusive price-fixing.
The word carries strong implications of fraud or conspiracy: The investigation revealed collusive arrangements between regulators and the companies they oversaw.
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- cabalScheming political faction
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- schemeCalculated strategy, often secretive
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
connivance · machination · complicity · pact · treasonous · seditious · subversive · syndicate
Against corporate market dominance
- price-fixingCoordinated artificial cost-setting
- bid-riggingIllegal auction coordination
- cartelPrice-fixing coalition
- kickbacksIllegal return payments
bribery · racketeering · monopolistic · anticompetitive · unlawful · criminal · prohibited · indictable
Creating false impressions
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
- corruptDishonest, open to bribes
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
deceitful · misleading · false · dissembling · two-faced · double-dealing · crooked · unscrupulous
Concealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
- surreptitiousDone secretly, avoiding detection
- furtiveSecretive and sly
- stealthySecretly cautious in movement
undercover · hidden · veiled · undisclosed · back-channel · hush-hush · off-the-record · undetected
Crafty and calculating
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
- coerciveUsing pressure to compel
maneuvering · orchestrating · rigging · fixing · gaming · stacking · engineering · contriving
conspiracy
Clandestine coordinated scheming
- cabalScheming political faction
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- schemeCalculated strategy, often secretive
intrigue · connivance · machination · complicity · pact · treasonous · seditious · subversive · syndicate · ring
antitrust
Against corporate market dominance
- price-fixingCoordinated artificial cost-setting
- bid-riggingIllegal auction coordination
- cartelPrice-fixing coalition
kickbacks · bribery · racketeering · monopolistic · anticompetitive · unlawful · criminal · prohibited · indictable · prosecutable
deceptive
Creating false impressions
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
- corruptDishonest, open to bribes
duplicitous · deceitful · misleading · false · dissembling · two-faced · double-dealing · crooked · unscrupulous · underhanded
clandestine
Concealed from authorities
- covertIntentionally concealed
- surreptitiousDone secretly, avoiding detection
- furtiveSecretive and sly
stealthy · undercover · hidden · veiled · undisclosed · back-channel · hush-hush · off-the-record · undetected · concealed
scheming
Crafty and calculating
- calculatingColdly self-serving in strategy
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
coercive · maneuvering · orchestrating · rigging · fixing · gaming · stacking · engineering · contriving · prearranged
collusivetransparent
Allowing light through
open · overt · disclosed · public · aboveboard
collusivelegitimate
Conforming to accepted standards
honest · ethical · lawful · above-board · fair
collusivecompetitive
Driven by rivalry
independent · uncoordinated · autonomous · adversarial · free-market
- corporate collusionIllegal business coordination