contrived

1 of 2

adjective

con·​trived kən-ˈtrīvd 

: having an unnatural or false appearance or quality : artificial, labored entry 1

a contrived plot

contrived

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of contrive

Synonyms of contrived

Adjective

• strained
• mock
• unnatural
• false
• exaggerated
• fake
• simulated
• artificial
• mechanical
• affected
• forced
• pseudo

Examples of contrived in a Sentence

Adjective

… it may remind readers of Christopher Nolan's ingeniously contrived mystery film "Memento" … —Joyce Carol Oates, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2005

The music industry has become far more image conscious and contrived since her first album affected me so profoundly … —Lisa Marie Presley, Time, 18 Apr. 2005

There are some who scorn that sterling art form, the afternoon soap opera, alleging that its characters are unbelievable, its plots contrived and its action negligible. —Lydel Sims, Assignment: Memphis, 1982

The movie's contrived ending was a big disappointment.

The results of the test seemed somewhat contrived.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But the attention on Cunningham’s comments, the contrived outrage over a fictional trans athlete draft and dumb stunts by former NBA players may have helped drive more folks toward watching the league’s games. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

More problematic is Helaena’s suicide, which feels more contrived here. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Creighton jokes, explaining that making the film accessible to people is far more interesting to her than some sort of contrived celebrity impact campaign. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

The most contrived shift, however, is this season’s sudden distance from the men’s team. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of contrive

First Known Use

Adjective

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for contrived

• archived
• arrived
• connived
• deprived
• derived
• revived
• survived
• dived
• lived
• rived
• strived
• thrived