1
as in gadget
an interesting and often novel device with a practical use
a new contrivance for cleaning computer keyboards
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in invention
something (as a device) created for the first time through the use of the imagination
despite the many modern contrivances for saving time and labor, we seem to have less leisure and energy than ever before
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in imagination
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others
in that writer's hands, narrative contrivance can often deteriorate into pointless gimmickry
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contrivance
The dialogue is overwrought, the plot contrivances are gratuitous, and the show has never been more fun.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
The script, also by Ahn, leans slightly too much on contrivances to nudge the relationship along.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Ponies is overly reliant on coincidences and characters making unlikely mistakes to keep the plot moving, and all that contrivance leads to some Swiss-cheese-like plotting in the season’s back half.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
In another area of the factory, machines installed four years earlier already lack certain even-more-modern contrivances.
—Sacbee.com, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrivance
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
The script, also by Ahn, leans slightly too much on contrivances to nudge the relationship along.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026
Ponies is overly reliant on coincidences and characters making unlikely mistakes to keep the plot moving, and all that contrivance leads to some Swiss-cheese-like plotting in the season’s back half.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
In another area of the factory, machines installed four years earlier already lack certain even-more-modern contrivances.
—Sacbee.com, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrivance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrivance
Noun
-
Women are being confronted by lotions and serums and light masks that promise to rejuvenate their faces and necks, dietary supplements claiming to do everything from boost moods to ease hot flashes and gadgets promising to help with symptoms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The gadget works by utilizing a blue-violet light to attract insects, which are then zapped by a 4200-volt electric grid on contact.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
With strong leadership and direction, what first appears as setbacks can in fact be a jumping-off point for invention and growth.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Landmark inventions like the printing press, steam engine, telephone, incandescent light bulb, and airplane heralded new stages of progress in technology and spurred further innovation.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
May 21 – June 20 When structure meets imagination, conversations bloom.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Their height and heft frightened and thrilled spectators, earning dinosaurs a permanent place in the public imagination, Coules said.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
From Hollywood, California, to Hollywood, Florida, the wage standard needs nurturing and protecting with whatever tools are available.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
There are other tools the EU could use.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If people continue to offload their reasoning to AI, Dehghani agrees that communities will lose creative innovation and the ability to critique mainstream ideas or even political candidates.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Ukraine responded with quick innovation of its own, including low-cost interceptor drones designed to track and destroy incoming drones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There's also a palpable new seam of imaginativeness among residents.—
Toby Skinner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
There are a million and one videos of ag workers across Asia using the engines—often sourced from Yanmar and Kubota—to power wagons and irrigation pumps, among other contraptions.—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Moreover, the trim little contraption cut a wholesome figure reminiscent of a Richard Scarry book—as if a courtesy tram birthed a tiny Zamboni.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Yet in courts today, those same song lyrics can be presented to a jury as evidence of guilt, casting creativity as a literal confession.—
Ivan J. Bates,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Sunny Rey Azzarito was in the fourth grade and struggling a bit in school when her teacher looked at one of her assignments and saw creativity where someone else may have chosen criticism.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contrivance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrivance. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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