1
as in to devise
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 to plot
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 to negotiate
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
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Recent Examples of contrive
But if that purpose feels contrived or opportunistic, the effect reverses.
—
Michael Shribman, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
First, it was hastily contrived and had weak monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
—Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025
The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
Cool, contrived, controversial, captivating, contentious, curious, confounding — pick your adjective.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrive
Michael Shribman, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
First, it was hastily contrived and had weak monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
—Mulugeta Gebrehiwot Berhe, Foreign Affairs, 5 Aug. 2025
The Florida court contrived a weird and arbitrary compromise, granting new sentencing hearings only to death row prisoners whose sentences were considered final after 2002, when the U.S. court issued a decision that was a precursor to Hurst’s.
—Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 July 2025
Cool, contrived, controversial, captivating, contentious, curious, confounding — pick your adjective.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrive
Verb
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Stone is a former Riverside County supervisor who devised another north-south split for California, this one intended to give the new eastern California state a couple more seats in Congress and two more Republican seats in the Senate.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
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Saluti has devised a unique trio of designs for The Vault, each drawing inspiration from nature to create abstract, hypnotic forms that blur the boundaries of her creative disciplines.—
Mark Ellwood,
Robb Report,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro – who was this week convicted of plotting to overturn his country’s 2022 election and sentenced to more than 27 years in jail – is far from being the first Latin American leader to run into legal trouble.—
Sofía Benavides,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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Another restructure is being plotted, with a meeting scheduled next week to discuss plans.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Its Office for Civil Rights investigates allegations at schools and negotiates corrective actions.—
Fred Clasen-Kelly,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Looking forward, 185 countries are negotiating a global plastics treaty aimed at ending plastic pollution by 2040, and to promote a closed loop approach, phasing out unnecessary plastics and encouraging the use of sustainable alternatives.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Advertisement Synthetic dyes are generally made from petroleum and concocted in labs.—
Alice Park,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
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To solve this problem, materials scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have concocted a new sunscreen recipe that spares the ocean’s vital microorganisms.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Head coach Kevin O’Connell tends to scheme free releases for Jefferson, but Terrell can be sticky down the field.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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This is only Year 1, and while the Patriots are working, scheming and practicing to win every Sunday, their biggest games are well ahead of them.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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North was convicted in 1989 on three felony charges for helping to arrange the illicit sale of weapons to Iran and divert the proceeds to fund a secret war against anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Wegovy injection pens arranged in Waterbury, Vermont, US, on Monday, April 28, 2025.—
Karen Gilchrist,Katrina Bishop,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The genius was a man named Joel Houghton, who invented and patented a mechanical dishwasher in 1850.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Zambia also invented the walking safari.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yergan Jones, 63, president of an audiovisual company, pleaded guilty to conspiring with the Gatlin by falsifying dozens of invoices for purported fundraising events between 2019 and 2024.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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Now, the same institutions once intimidated by authoritarian power have declared that a former commander-in-chief conspired to revoke the 2022 election, assassinate rivals, and eventually unleash street chaos to hold on to power.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrive. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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