contrived
adjective
con·trived
kən-ˈtrīvd 
: having an unnatural or false appearance or quality : artificial, labored
a contrived plot
Synonyms
Examples of contrived in a Sentence
… it may remind readers of Christopher Nolan's ingeniously contrived mystery film "Memento" …
—
Joyce Carol Oates, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2005
The music industry has become far more image conscious and contrived since her first album affected me so profoundly …
—Lisa Marie Presley, Time, 18 Apr. 2005
There are some who scorn that sterling art form, the afternoon soap opera, alleging that its characters are unbelievable, its plots contrived and its action negligible.
—Lydel Sims, Assignment: Memphis, 1982
The movie's contrived ending was a big disappointment.
The results of the test seemed somewhat contrived.
Joyce Carol Oates, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2005
The music industry has become far more image conscious and contrived since her first album affected me so profoundly …
—Lisa Marie Presley, Time, 18 Apr. 2005
There are some who scorn that sterling art form, the afternoon soap opera, alleging that its characters are unbelievable, its plots contrived and its action negligible.
—Lydel Sims, Assignment: Memphis, 1982
The movie's contrived ending was a big disappointment.
The results of the test seemed somewhat contrived.
Recent Examples on the Web
The past two seasons have given us Michigan vs. Everybody and Ohio Against the World, both of which felt a bit contrived.
—Austin Meek, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Davis Gates is the lead puppeteer for the union and the mayor and chief antagonist to Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, and her mean-spirited grandstanding is little more than a series of contrived media stunts.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
Gabbard dissented from this contrived consensus on Syria, actively resisting the false narratives of the permanent national security bureaucracy.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Her role intends to put a human face on the awful burden fame imposes on those who are sidelined from the ones in the addictive spotlight, but it’s presented in a contrived manner, even though Fanning gives it her all.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contrived 
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Austin Meek, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Davis Gates is the lead puppeteer for the union and the mayor and chief antagonist to Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, and her mean-spirited grandstanding is little more than a series of contrived media stunts.
—Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2025
Gabbard dissented from this contrived consensus on Syria, actively resisting the false narratives of the permanent national security bureaucracy.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
Her role intends to put a human face on the awful burden fame imposes on those who are sidelined from the ones in the addictive spotlight, but it’s presented in a contrived manner, even though Fanning gives it her all.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contrived
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Cite this Entry
“Contrived.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrived. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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