nounnounadjective

le complice

accomplice · knowing

C'est une personne qui aide quelqu'un à faire quelque chose de mal ou d'interdit.

The French word "complice" has several related meanings, mostly revolving around involvement or partnership, often in a secretive or illicit context.

Meaning

Accomplice / Partner in crime:
- A complice is someone who deliberately helps another person commit a crime or wrongdoing. In this sense, it refers to an accomplice who shares responsibility or involvement in an illegal act.
Close collaborator / participant:
- More generally, a complice can refer to someone who is closely involved with another person in a particular plan, project, or secret, sometimes implying understandings or conspiracies (not necessarily criminal).
Confidant / partner in intimacy or trust:
- Sometimes the word is used metaphorically in social or personal relations to describe someone who's in a kind of "silent agreement" or shared understanding, almost like a partner or ally in a mutual feeling or secret.

Parts of the Word

comp-: From Latin cum- meaning "with"
-plice: derived from plicare meaning "to fold" or "to involve"

So, "complice" literally indicates someone "folded together" or "folded with" another, denoting close involvement.

Synonyms in French

Accomplice (direct synonym for a partner in crime)
Partenaire (partner, collaborator)
Associé (associate)
Confident(e) (confidant, for the trust/understanding sense)

Antonyms

Opposant(e) (opponent)
Ennemi(e) (enemy)
Adversaire (adversary)
Témoin (witness, especially someone not participating)

Examples in English

"He was caught as a complice in the robbery." → He was caught as an accomplice in the robbery.
"They acted like complices in a shared secret." → They acted like partners in confidence or confidants with a shared secret.

In summary, "complice" in French mostly means an accomplice or someone closely involved in a shared plan, often secret or illegal, but can also describe a trustworthy partner or close collaborator.