1
as in gadget
an interesting and often novel device with a practical use
a new contrivance for cleaning computer keyboards
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contrivance
The reader wonders if their mutual faith in hideous cars driven by strangers isn’t a contrivance at all, but a familial trait.
Of the siblings’ many mishaps, the most poetic occurs when they’re forced to swap rental cars after an accident.
—
Bobby Finger, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Measuring a president at 100 days is something of a contrivance that is based on a marker set during Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term back in the 1930s.
—Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
But much of the show’s appeal can be tracked back to a single performer: At the center of all the flattening contrivance, David Hyde Pierce is shuffling about with his mildly hapless, lovable deadpan, giving the production’s only understated performance.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
This should play as a melodramatic contrivance — along with the possibility that the shooter could be an angry incel teen named David whom Robby saw at the start of his shift.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrivance
Bobby Finger, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Measuring a president at 100 days is something of a contrivance that is based on a marker set during Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first term back in the 1930s.
—Anthony Salvanto, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
But much of the show’s appeal can be tracked back to a single performer: At the center of all the flattening contrivance, David Hyde Pierce is shuffling about with his mildly hapless, lovable deadpan, giving the production’s only understated performance.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
This should play as a melodramatic contrivance — along with the possibility that the shooter could be an angry incel teen named David whom Robby saw at the start of his shift.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrivance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrivance
Noun
-
But perhaps you're set on purchasing a new EV with the latest gadgets and upgrades.—
Jim Sergent,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Dubbed the NotePin, the gadget has found a fast growing audience.—
Iain Martin,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Patents provide a crucial incentive by giving creators exclusive rights to their inventions for a set period, ensuring that others cannot simply copy and profit from their hard work.—
Kenneth Braithwaite,
Fortune,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Axiom’s Hologram Zoo was named one of the best inventions of 2023 when the first one opened in Australia, where the company is based.—
Miriam Porter,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Whatever irrigates the imagination and allows the soul to exhale.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Creative expression and imagination are essential training grounds for navigating doubt.—
Bidhan Parmar,
CNBC,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Figma added four new AI-native tools to its platform this quarter and told investors on the call to expect significant investments in AI going forward.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
4 Sep. 2025
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Traders currently place the odds of a 25 basis-point cut at 98 percent, according to the CME FedWatch tool.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The stories of his production innovations and inspirations are nerdy and cool, especially the talk of Asher being one of the first producers to insist on giving back-of-the-album credit to the individual musicians assisting bigger solo artists.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Aug. 2025
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This constraint forces a different kind of innovation — one that mirrors the complex trade-offs that characterize all biological systems.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The movie is less a screwball comedy than a screwball contraption—a madcap farce that the screenwriters have reduced to a math problem.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
-
In this case, pressing L2 and R2 at the same time activates a type of vision that will show players demonic contraptions that are invisible to the human eye.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That’s what my focus has been — about creating a strong culture of creativity of the importance of design.—
Emily Mercer,
Footwear News,
6 Sep. 2025
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Boldness and audacity are a protection for creativity against fear.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrivance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrivance. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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