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
Spilling across the bottom of the frame, unconcealed by any carpet or contrivance, soil forms the literal foundation of so many photographs by the Malian photographer Seydou Keïta.
—
Zoë Hopkins, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 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
Zoë Hopkins, New Yorker, 7 Feb. 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
-
Vast’s Haven-1 module, for example, is designed to have just 45 cubic meters (1,500 cubic feet) of habitable volume, with soft white walls accented by maple wood veneer slats that conceal research gadgets in the walls.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Mims is a return weapon and gadget specialist who can exploit mismatches anywhere.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
By bringing to the seas this terrestrial invention, seagrasses grew in ways that no other ocean species could, in rugged mats of almost unbreakable fibers.—
David George Haskell,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The lessons that endure are about constraint and invention, messiness and coordination, contradiction and persistence—about intervening directly and fearlessly in material reality.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But this is not extreme demands by any stretch of the imagination.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The world of dance has leapt long in fashion’s collective imagination—but the reign of the ballet flat may, finally, be twirling off.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Seven stacks of tiny paper cups were arranged to the left, next to packets of Nescafé, pouches of two-minute noodles, and a double gas burner connected to the cylinder—the main tool of his trade.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Abbott’s use of AL16 as a marketing tool worked.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Its deployment reflects Beijing’s growing ambition to build long-term, scalable infrastructure for sustained deep-sea exploration and innovation.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Trump and his advisors, including AI and crypto czar David Sacks, have argued that various state laws are a burden to innovation.—
Deepa Shivaram,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There's also a palpable new seam of imaginativeness among residents.—
Toby Skinner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Fowler tried all sorts of techniques and contraptions—mouth tape, oral appliances, a special therapeutic water bottle, tough Turkish chewing gum.—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
15 Mar. 2026
-
However, with a bit of practice, these fairly portable (though often heavy) contraptions bridge the gap between casual night photography and more serious astrophotography.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Your creativity is also doing something quietly remarkable.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
-
November 22 – December 21 A single spark of inspiration can unleash a wildfire of creativity.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contrivance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrivance. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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