1
as in devising
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
contrived abstract metal sculptures using old household utensils
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Recent Examples of contriving
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
The profligacy, for sure, with Everton contriving to surrender a 1-0 lead in the space of eight remarkable second-half minutes in which defender Jake O’Brien was also sent off.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 11 Feb. 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
Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
The profligacy, for sure, with Everton contriving to surrender a 1-0 lead in the space of eight remarkable second-half minutes in which defender Jake O’Brien was also sent off.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 11 Feb. 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
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States are getting creative in devising how the money will be collected either through taxation or voluntary donations by state residents.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Working with industry qubits Imec’s genius is not in devising a new kind of qubit but in using one that’s the easiest to scale.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Bolsonaro was arrested and ultimately convicted of plotting a coup to overturn the results of that election.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
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Scary Movie was just released and Marlon Wayans is already plotting a cameo for the next sequel.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Teams spend more time interpreting signals, protecting resources and negotiating around unresolved leadership tension.—
Britton Bloch,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
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One option is debt settlement, which involves negotiating with creditors on a settlement amount that's less than the full amount owed.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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And she’s spent a decade scaling her brand into an industry disrupter; Ellsworth began concocting prebiotic drinks in 2015, founding her business just one year later.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
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According to the report, workers illegally pocketed between $20,000 and more than $41,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans from a massive federal COVID-19 pandemic relief effort – some by concocting companies that didn't exist to pocket federal assistance funds.—
Chris Tye,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Their concierge team also is available to assist with arranging private airport transfers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 June 2026
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Shavers suggests arranging an annual check.—
Ashley Chalmers,
The Spruce,
9 June 2026
Verb
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For the mixed martial arts event, crews have spent the past three weeks constructing the Claw, a 92-foot-tall structure that will house the Octagon.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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The first phase includes grading the site, building roadways around the property, constructing ball fields and relocating existing overhead power lines underground, the latter of which has already been completed in a contract with Idaho Power.—
Noah Daly,
Idaho Statesman,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Like Muir, Lustmord’s Brian Williams creates harrowing, light-devouring music by digitally manipulating a vast library of sounds he’s collected via sampling and field recording.—
Brad Sanders,
Pitchfork,
8 June 2026
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The ever-expanding, replicating, and manipulating series of rooms take scraps and memories of those who pass through it, expanding into something that defies personality or ease.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Verb
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There is this common understanding of the disruptive way of inventing a genre.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
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Since inventing optical fiber for long-range communication in 1970, Corning has provided millions of miles of cables to connect racks together in AI data centers from all the major players.—
Katie Tarasov,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contriving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contriving. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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