CONTRIVING Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

contriving

verb

present participle of contrive

as in devising

to create or think of by clever use of the imagination contrived abstract metal sculptures using old household utensils

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as in plotting

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

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as in negotiating

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of contriving The simple average of these deliveries is skewed by the 2023 Ashes, where more bouncers were bowled than in any Test on record, with England contriving repeatedly to lose wickets to the ball dug in short. — Ben Jones aug. 26, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Even his courtship with Bess Wallace was accented by Truman contriving a tennis court for her — the dynamics of which are captured through photos of and letters about his efforts. — Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026 Director Ellenstein had the aha moment earlier this decade of contriving a work about Eisenhower and the accomplished playwright and Orange County native, Richard Hellesen, took on the task of writing it. — Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026 By eschewing salaries, lobbying Congress to gut the estate tax, and contriving elaborate writeoffs and work-arounds, the very rich have placed much of their wealth beyond the reach of the state. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contriving

Verb

Across product organizations, Microsoft executives have been devising ways to charge customers based on usage to better reflect rising costs.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have thwarted that tyranny even more profoundly, by devising an ultra-fast way to steer light, using light itself as the steering wheel.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of devising

Verb

The movie’s antihero, Doug (Will Brill), is a middle school theater teacher plotting his revenge against his ex-girlfriend Abigail (Gillian Jacobs), also a teacher — and her new boyfriend, the more charming Principal Brady (Rob Lowe).

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
In other words, your friend may be absorbing your taste without plotting a hostile takeover of your life, Single White Female style.

— Alesandra Dubin, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of plotting

Verb

Blizzard insinuated that Paramount blackmailed California into negotiating a settlement by threatening to leave the state, a common talking point raised by Bonta.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026
Continuing to fight or pressure Iran economically is unlikely to yield a better outcome than negotiating.

— RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of negotiating

Verb

Their attention to detail in the studio when arranging each member’s parts was like witnessing true geniuses at work.

— Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
In a clip first shared with Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar-winning filmmaker recalls arranging an appearance on Judge Judy involving the whole Spielberg clan — a 90th birthday gift to his late mother, Leah Adler, a huge fan of Sheindlin’s.

— Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of arranging

Verb

For now, the vision involves replacing the aging Indian Creek bridge, rebuilding intersections on either end, and constructing an overpass to carry cars over the Union Pacific tracks on the south bank of the stream.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 25 Sep. 2026
Physicists are nowhere close to constructing a functional theory of this form, much less finding hard evidence that our universe works this way.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of constructing

Verb

Different views on the topic The administration and its supporters reject the claim that their election efforts are aimed at disrupting or manipulating voting.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
That distinction is important as humanoid robots become increasingly capable of balancing, walking, and manipulating objects.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of manipulating

Verb

Across both commercial ambient platforms and general-purpose models applied to clinical documentation, the more common failure is under-capture rather than inventing what wasn’t said.

— Pat Williams, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
For a guy who's such a prominent African-American to try to get in on the conversation by inventing something that never took place.

— Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of inventing

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contrives

contriving

control

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“Contriving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contriving. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of contriving

verb

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