complicit

Complicit is an adjective used to describe someone who is involved in wrongdoing through participation, assistance, or tacit approval. A person or organization can be complicit even without being the primary perpetrator, if they knowingly enable or support the wrongdoing. The related noun is complicity.

The word derives from French complicité, from complice meaning "accomplice." In English, complicit emerged in the early 20th century to describe moral or legal involvement in another's wrongdoing. The term emphasizes association rather than sole action.

In legal contexts, complicity refers to aiding, abetting, counseling, or conspiring with another to commit a crime or tort. Liability for complicity varies by jurisdiction and can extend to those who knowingly facilitate or fail to act when there is a duty to act. Ethically, being complicit often implies moral responsibility for the consequences of the wrongdoing, even if not the primary offender.

Examples include a corporate executive who knowingly overlooks illegal pollution, a supplier who knowingly ships sanctioned goods, or an individual who helps cover up a crime. Complicity can also arise from passive or tacit support, such as turning a blind eye to harm because challenging it seems costly or risky.

Related terms include complicity and accomplice, as well as conspiracy, accessory, willful blindness, and moral responsibility.