complicity
Partnership in wrongdoing
Complicity is involvement in wrongdoing, typically as a partner or accomplice rather than the principal actor.
The word implies shared guilt: Her silence made her complicit in the cover-up.
Complicity can be active or passive—you can be complicit by helping, by knowing and not acting, or simply by benefiting from harm done to others.
Fraudulent secret cooperation
- connivanceWillful blindness to wrongdoing
- cabalScheming political faction
- plottingDevising a secret plan
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
machination · clandestine · covert · subterfuge · scheming · underhanded · secretive · maneuvering
Deserving blame for wrongdoing
- accessorySupplementary addition
- involvementState of being engaged
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
incrimination · indictment · implicated · liable · answerable · accountable · entanglement · knowingly
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- double-crossTreacherous deception of partner
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
turncoat · informant · defection · sellout · treason · two-faced · duplicity · rat
Unresisting acceptance
- tacitUnderstood without words
- passiveNot actively participating
- bystanderOne who observes nearby
- enablingMaking something feasible
condoning · tolerance · inaction · omission · unspoken · implicit · coverup · stonewalling
Corrupt payment for influence
- kickbackIllegal payment for services
- graftIllicit political gain
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
racketeering · payoff · cronyism · nepotism · quid-pro-quo · palm-greasing · cartel · price-fixing
collusion
Fraudulent secret cooperation
- connivanceWillful blindness to wrongdoing
- cabalScheming political faction
- plottingDevising a secret plan
intrigue · machination · clandestine · covert · subterfuge · scheming · underhanded · secretive · maneuvering · cover-up
culpability
Deserving blame for wrongdoing
- accessorySupplementary addition
- involvementState of being engaged
- responsibilityState of being answerable
blame · incrimination · indictment · implicated · liable · answerable · accountable · entanglement · knowingly · willfully
treachery
Deliberate violation of trust
- disloyaltyBreach of allegiance
- double-crossTreacherous deception of partner
- perfidyDeliberate breach of trust
backstabbing · turncoat · informant · defection · sellout · treason · two-faced · duplicity · rat · snitch
acquiescence
Unresisting acceptance
enabling · condoning · tolerance · inaction · omission · unspoken · implicit · coverup · stonewalling
bribery
Corrupt payment for influence
- kickbackIllegal payment for services
- graftIllicit political gain
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
fraud · racketeering · payoff · cronyism · nepotism · quid-pro-quo · palm-greasing · cartel · price-fixing · insider
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- Blameblame, fault, culprit, accusation, guilt-tripping
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- criminal lawcrime, felony, misdemeanor, murder, robbery
- international lawinternational law, treaty, treaties, conventions, protocols
- schemesschemes, scheme, plots, plot, conspiracies
complicityinnocence
Freedom from wrongdoing
blamelessness · noninvolvement · guiltlessness · non-participation · clean hands
complicityignorance
Absence of knowledge
unawareness · obliviousness · naivety · cluelessness · unknowing
complicityresistance
Capacity to withstand force
opposition · refusal · whistleblowing · dissent · defiance