contrive

con·trive

verb \kən-ˈtrīv\

con·trivedcon·triv·ing

Definition of CONTRIVE

transitive verb

1

a : devise, plan <contrive ways of handling the situation> b : to form or create in an artistic or ingenious manner <contrived household utensils from stone>

2

: to bring about by stratagem or with difficulty : manage <he contrived to win their support>

intransitive verb

: to make schemes

— con·triv·er noun

Examples of CONTRIVE

1. The prisoners contrived a way to escape.
2. He contrived a meeting with the president.

Origin of CONTRIVE

Middle English controven, contreven, from Anglo-French controver, contrever, from Medieval Latin contropare to compare, from Latin com- + Vulgar Latin *tropare to compose, find — more at troubadour

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CONTRIVE

Synonyms: concoct, construct, invent, cook (up), devise, drum up, excogitate, fabricate, make up, manufacture, think (up), trump up, vamp (up)

Related Words: coin, design, hatch, produce; daydream, dream, fantasize; conceive, envisage, envision, imagine, picture, vision, visualize; ad-lib, extemporize, improvise

Near Antonyms: clone, copy, copycat, duplicate, imitate, mimic, reduplicate, replicate, reproduce

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with CONTRIVE

alive, archive, Argive, arrive, back dive, beehive, connive, crash-dive, deprive, derive, disk drive, endive, hard drive, high five, high-five, line drive, nosedive, ogive, revive, self-drive, skin-dive, skydive, survive, swan dive, take five, test-drive