contrived; contriving
1
: to make schemes
contriver
noun
Synonyms
Examples of contrive in a Sentence
The prisoners contrived a way to escape.
He contrived a meeting with the president.
Recent Examples on the Web
The movie’s most chilling sequence—in a nicely demented touch, Jesse Plemons, Dunst’s offscreen husband, pops up as a murderous psychopath—is also its most dubiously contrived.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Attempts to add action and take scenes outdoors look artificial and contrived, and no matter how hard Jay Wadley’s score pushes various thriller-adjacent aspects, none of that is ever convincing.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The setup feels forced, even contrived, at this late date.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2024
Just cutting back on the constant invective and contrived concerns will more than suffice.
—Dave Brooks, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024
The Gomez lawsuit also referenced a State Bar investigation into his law practice — a probe Gomez said was contrived by his adversaries in another attempt to discredit him.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
The aforementioned proximity ignites an innate rivalry, something spawned culturally and not contrived like most things in modern cricket.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
That’s how the media contrive to shape our values and sense of history.
—Armond White, National Review, 16 Feb. 2024
Sometimes ambiguous, sometimes literal — with gestures reflecting lyrics — the active dancing, along with everyday, pedestrian movement, can seem both contrived and predictable.
—Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Attempts to add action and take scenes outdoors look artificial and contrived, and no matter how hard Jay Wadley’s score pushes various thriller-adjacent aspects, none of that is ever convincing.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The setup feels forced, even contrived, at this late date.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2024
Just cutting back on the constant invective and contrived concerns will more than suffice.
—Dave Brooks, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024
The Gomez lawsuit also referenced a State Bar investigation into his law practice — a probe Gomez said was contrived by his adversaries in another attempt to discredit him.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024
The aforementioned proximity ignites an innate rivalry, something spawned culturally and not contrived like most things in modern cricket.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
That’s how the media contrive to shape our values and sense of history.
—Armond White, National Review, 16 Feb. 2024
Sometimes ambiguous, sometimes literal — with gestures reflecting lyrics — the active dancing, along with everyday, pedestrian movement, can seem both contrived and predictable.
—Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contrive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near contrive
Cite this Entry
“Contrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrive. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
contrive
verb
con·trive
kən-ˈtrīv 
contrived; contriving
1
: plan entry 2 sense 1, plot
contrive a way to escape
2
: to form or make in a skillful or clever way : invent
3
: bring about, manage
contriving to make ends meet
contriver
noun
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