complicit
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Most likely a back-formation from complicity, under the influence of words such as explicit, as though the suffix -ity were composed of -it (from Latin -itus) and -y.
Pronunciation
[edit]Adjective
[edit]complicit (comparative more complicit, superlative most complicit)
- Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature.
- 1861, Henry M. Wheeler, The Slaves' Champion, page 203:
- It [slavery] has set the seal of a complicit, guilty silence upon the most orthodox pulpits and the saintliest tongues, […]
- 1973, Angus Wilson, As If by Magic, Secker and Warburg, page 177:
- "I confess," and the Englishman turned with a near complicit grin to Hamo, "I have certain vulgar tastes myself."
- 2005 March 7, Larry Dennsion, “Letters”, in Time:
- Khan's sale of nuclear secrets and a complicit Pakistani government have made the world a ticking time bomb.
- 2023 July 26, Christian Wolmar, “Closing ticket offices to lead to 'catch-22' for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 42:
- I have been critical of the RDG in the past for merely being a cypher for government announcements, but the failure of its members to make a stand on this issue and not be complicit in the Government's subterfuge is a shocking indictment of their failure to protect the industry.
Synonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Descendants
[edit]- → Portuguese: complícito
Translations
[edit]associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature
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References
[edit]- “complicit”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., 1989.