1
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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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3
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contriving
Verb
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Jesse Minter, the man tasked with devising a plan to slow down Rodgers when the Chargers play host to the Steelers on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium, will be 43 on May 9.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025 -
Yet, after its ratification in 1870, Southern states set about trying to circumvent the amendment's intent by devising new ways to shape, control, and limit voting.—
Time,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Israeli settler movement is openly plotting a long-term return to Gaza, seeking to reverse the evacuation of 8,000 settlers from the Strip that happened twenty years ago.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Curves plotting model performance against size have begun flattening out.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Schumer on Saturday persisted in arguing that Republicans should accept a one-year extension of the subsidies before negotiating the future of the tax credits.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer argues Republicans should accept a one-year extension of the subsidies before negotiating the future of the tax credits.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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China has also been concocting a pretext for action.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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But in the late 1800s, food companies began concocting products that were wildly different from anything people could make themselves.—
Alice Callahan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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E-commerce transactions are managed end-to-end without friction, from building a shopping cart and applying discounts to arranging delivery and processing returns.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Join Chloe Mullen, a junior at Cathedral Catholic High School and member of the National Honor Society, for a special flower arranging workshop.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Several tech players are already constructing private energy plants for their own use as part of their data center buildouts, so there is nothing radical about Democrats insisting on tying approvals for data centers to bearing the cost of enhancing the public grid.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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And Laurel Street Residential is constructing a mixed-income building.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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By manipulating phase distribution, engineers can craft internal ion highways rather than relying on chance material behavior.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
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This summer, after initially targeting Punch, the president of SZA’s label TDE, Minaj dissed SZA herself on X, mocking her physical appearance, questioning her level of success, and accusing her of manipulating charts with her release of Lana, the deluxe version of 2022’s SOS.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This geometric architecture may even explain how complex organisms evolved so rapidly — not by inventing new genes, but by rearranging the ways existing ones are used.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
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But truths go ignored, the film argues, when everyone prefers inventing realities for themselves.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contriving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contriving. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.
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