contrived
adjective
con·trived
kən-ˈtrīvd 
: having an unnatural or false appearance or quality : artificial, labored
a contrived plot
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
But that is all quite contrived; pretending this was anything other than a worrying night for Kompany would be disingenuous.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Eric Dane is cast as Weaving’s bodyguard and only hope of escaping the contrived wedding planned by her obsessed fan.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
But even at its best, Kiss Land still feels like a contrived facsimile of what preceded it.
—Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
That said, the experiment created a pretty contrived situation.
—Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrived
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Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 18 Feb. 2025
Eric Dane is cast as Weaving’s bodyguard and only hope of escaping the contrived wedding planned by her obsessed fan.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2025
But even at its best, Kiss Land still feels like a contrived facsimile of what preceded it.
—Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
That said, the experiment created a pretty contrived situation.
—Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrived
Articles Related to contrived
Cite this Entry
“Contrived.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrived. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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