conniving
Sneakily planning harm
Conniving describes someone who schemes or plots, typically through dishonest means.
A conniving person manipulates situations for personal advantage, often by secretly cooperating with others in wrongdoing: a conniving business partner, She's conniving to get the inheritance.
The word carries strong negative connotations of sneakiness and moral untrustworthiness.
Inclined to mislead others
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- fraudulentInvolving intentional dishonesty
deceptive · false · untrustworthy · disingenuous · perfidious · misleading · lying · double-dealing
Sly, scheming cleverness
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- wilySkilled at deception
- slyCleverly deceptive
guileful · artful · foxy · devious · clever · astute · cagey · slick
Devising a secret plan
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
cabal · collusion · stratagem · ploy · gambit · subterfuge · maneuver · ruse
Skilled at controlling others
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
- coerciveUsing pressure to compel
- controllingExerting authority over others
- MachiavellianRuthlessly manipulative in politics
calculating · self-serving · opportunistic · insidious · persuasive · influencing · gaslighting · string-pulling
Inclined to conceal
- covertIntentionally concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- stealthySecretly cautious in movement
- underhandedSecretly dishonest or unfair
sneaky · furtive · surreptitious · hidden · conspiratorial · whispering · hushed · subversive
deceitful
Inclined to mislead others
- dishonestInclined to deceive
- duplicitousDeliberately deceptive in nature
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
fraudulent · deceptive · false · untrustworthy · disingenuous · perfidious · misleading · lying · double-dealing · backstabbing
cunning
Sly, scheming cleverness
sly · guileful · artful · foxy · devious · clever · astute · cagey · slick · slippery
plotting
Devising a secret plan
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
machination · cabal · collusion · stratagem · ploy · gambit · subterfuge · maneuver · ruse · artifice
manipulative
Skilled at controlling others
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
- coerciveUsing pressure to compel
- controllingExerting authority over others
Machiavellian · calculating · self-serving · opportunistic · insidious · persuasive · influencing · gaslighting · string-pulling · puppeteering
secretive
Inclined to conceal
- covertIntentionally concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- stealthySecretly cautious in movement
underhanded · sneaky · furtive · surreptitious · hidden · conspiratorial · whispering · hushed · subversive · underground
- deceptionlie, lies, lying, fake, fraud
- wrongdoingmisconduct, crime, sabotage, crimes, misbehavior
- corruptioncorruption, graft, kickbacks, bribery, bribes
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- dirty trickscheating, lying, deceit, trickery, deception
- dishonestydishonesty, deceit, duplicity, lying, mendacity
connivinghonest
Free from deception
straightforward · forthright · candid · open · transparent
connive, connivance, conniver, connived, connivers, connives, connivances