1
as in devises
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
contrived abstract metal sculptures using old household utensils
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plots
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends
the mischievous boys were always contriving and trying to pull the prank that would be the talk of the school
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in negotiates
to plan out usually with subtle skill or care
contrived a way of planning the surprise party without their catching on to it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of contrives
Her early death, after an illness that the father initially contrives to ignore then notices just in time to capture her desperation in a fine sketch, leaves Mimí utterly disoriented, yearning only to achieve a level of self-control and detachment that will spare him their tumultuous struggle.
—
Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
The team of graphic designers behind Meow Wolf even contrives mini comics based on these realms so readers can get a pulse of how alive these worlds are.
—Malik Peay, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
The team of graphic designers behind Meow Wolf even contrives mini comics based on these realms so readers can get a pulse of how alive these worlds are.
—Malik Peay, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrives
Verb
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Bright leads the cast of Off Campus as Hannah, a music student who devises a fake dating scheme with hockey star Garrett in order to catch the attention of her crush, Justin.—
Katie Mannion,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
-
In her work, Mackintosh devises scenarios that are bold and almost aggressively simplified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Shakespeare’s comedies especially understand the joy of watching people get trapped in schemes and plots well beyond their control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Goldman here plots the earnings-revisions trend for 2027 among AI-infrastructure plays, energy companies, the overall S & P 500 and the rest of the S & P outside of AI and energy.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The fundraising comes as SpaceX negotiates to pay razor-thin fees to the Wall Street firms, though banks are still likely to rake in about $500 million.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
What Senate Bill 3496 would create isn’t a one-time savings event but a durable, compounding mechanism for relief, a pipeline that expands every year as Medicare negotiates more drugs and Illinois extends those savings to everyone, not just seniors.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Driver’s character concocts a way for the duo to start an environmental business together as Russians, largely the mafia, are involved in recalibrating a canal in New York City.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
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The bleak tortures Ohm concocts for his characters are as vile as the Bilberry’s fetid jacuzzi.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Joy Randolph, follows a desperate gallery owner (Portman) who schemes to sell a dead man as art at Art Basel in Miami.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Aria even has a musical director, who arranges performances and special events and compiles soundtracks for individual stays.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
4 June 2026
-
Residents Medical arranges rotations with careful attention to specialty alignment.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
That kind of popularity and radiant goodness produces a lineage of artists but doesn’t have the crowd appeal of a lone genius who invents a flying machine or pulls a seventeen-foot sculpture out of a block of marble.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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Rather than reproducing Monroe’s public mythology, Oates invents a fictional interior life for Norma Jeane Baker, exploring the psychological cost of becoming a cultural icon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Rams star quarterback manipulates opposing players with his eyes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Williams acknowledges that there are fears about dubbing fixes being the thin end of a wedge that could lead to actors being replaced, even if Flawless’ AI only manipulates the face from the nose down.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contrives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrives. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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