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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
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
-
There were also signs of progress on property taxes as lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee advanced their tax cut proposal — although their plan remains far from the one their Senate counterparts are devising.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Last week, the council voted to direct the city manager to study moving emergency operations, dispatch and the service call center out of City Hall while devising funding plans for repairing the building, staying there and relocating.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Orbán also leaves behind a fiscal mess, which the analyst Dalibor Rohac suggests Orbán might be happy to abandon while plotting his comeback.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Writing the book was a delight, from research to character development to plotting to drafting.—
Lee Kelly,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Iran’s negotiating team, chaired by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Arghchi, met late Friday with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The administration has already spent at least $40 million to deport roughly 300 migrants through such deals and is negotiating with 47 countries to expand the program further.—
Gerald Imray,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As Gyllenhaal begins concocting her third directorial feature, could Curtis be part of the picture?—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Gyllenhaal, who also wrote her film, has corrected the imbalance, refashioning the story from the Bride’s perspective and concocting a protagonist of unfiltered feminist fury.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But many booth owners take great care on their displays and spend their free time arranging their wares just so.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Long before Manhattan's iconic street grid took shape, an English widow laid the groundwork for a settlement in Brooklyn, arranging a small village in what would become the United States into one of the first grid patterns.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Stearns has generally placed a higher premium on defense up the middle when constructing rosters.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
By utilizing an existing containment structure, the project was able to establish a testing environment without constructing an entirely new shell.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There was the patriarch, Abbas Khan, prowling through the pages, making real-estate deals, manipulating people.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Full-palm tactile sensing allows the robot to continue manipulating objects even when cameras are obstructed or when precise force control is required, such as in assembly tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Another 23% wanted to focus on sending people to live in a space station, with 9% wanting to reach another planet and 1% suggesting, somewhat ambitiously, inventing time travel.—
Ariel Edwards-Levy,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Chrysler is often credited with inventing the minivan, or at least mainstreaming it in the United States in the early 1980s.—
Robert Ferris,
CNBC,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contriving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contriving. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
