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
-
Too often, modern technologies, like inter-device connectivity and artificial intelligence, are shoehorned into gadgets that would be more intuitive to use, affordable, accessible, and/or durable without them.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
-
Players can lean into quiet infiltration with gadgets and disguises, or push for direct firefights and rooftop chase sequences when the situation calls for it.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Unlike earlier revolutionary inventions, this one may soon be able to think, adapt and act with a speed and autonomy that dwarfs our own.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
Beale used the invention of the car and the development of frameworks and systems to support safe driving as a parallel to the evolution of AI in this new Industrial Revolution.—
Rachel Wells,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Each reiteration and exaggeration of Mary’s bad behavior is another civic stroke of the chisel that perfects the monumental Lincoln in our collective imagination.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
By using the language of French wines to write about Southern food, Beard was placing the latter on the same footing that European food held in the American imagination.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Maybe a computer was a new tool for understanding poetry.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
So Amrik taught Rai to cherish his tools and treat them with the utmost care.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Similar artificial intelligence legislation had failed in previous years due to concerns from the governor’s office that regulations would hinder innovation in the state.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
-
The typical approach, dispatching a small team to build an innovation lab in Silicon Valley and hoping the insights flow back to headquarters, has rarely worked.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
There's also a palpable new seam of imaginativeness among residents.—
Toby Skinner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Eisler showed him how to position himself on a metal-and-wood contraption called a reformer.—
Natalie Meade,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
These genius contraptions help remove moisture from the air and can make a big difference in cooling down the house.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Slot and his side has received plenty of criticism for their style of play this season because of its lack of intensity, aggression, speed and creativity in and out of possession.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
An ambitious man, always pursuing new avenues for his creativity, Powell experimented with different media (radio, film and television) at a time when not many did.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contrivance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrivance. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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