French Conversation · Level 98
60 words
French word
complice
Pronunciation
IPA/kɔ̃plis/
Meaning
- noun (m./f.)accomplice
Example
La police a arrêté le complice hier.
The police arrested the accomplice yesterday.
More examples
Il a été considéré comme un complice involontaire.
He was considered an unwitting accomplice.
Core concept
A helper within a wrongdoing, involved enough to share responsibility but not to be its main perpetrator.
Common phrases
complice involontaire
unwitting accomplice
avoir un complice
have an accomplice
Similar words
partenaire: A person who carries out activities or work jointly with another.
collaborateur: A person who cooperates and works with others on a task or activity.
suspect: A person suspected of involvement in a crime or incident.
malfaiteur: A person who commits criminal acts.
Definition in French
Désigne quelqu'un qui, sans être l'auteur principal, collabore à une faute ou à un crime.
Word origin
French complice developed from Latin complex, complicis, a noun related to complicare, "to fold together," which came to describe people linked in an act.
Usage tips
- French commonly uses complice with de in être complice de, as in être complice d'un crime; the de becomes d' before a vowel sound.