as in strained
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the contrived applause of a TV studio audience that has been told when to clap
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in concocted
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
contrived abstract metal sculptures using old household utensils
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plotted
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 negotiated
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
Examples 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 contrived
Colin Flint, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Using a social realism that is all the more powerful for its restraint, Carreira avoids wild swings and contrived speeches, and trusts the audience to be swept up by a devastating performance of a woman being hollowed out from within by inhumane working conditions.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
The thing is, since o1 is only displaying a contrived chain-of-thought, this means that there is a chance now for AI hallucinations to appear in the visible chain-of-thought.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
That’s the contrived premise of J.J. Perry’s action-comedy, which even manages to throw some romance into its high-concept mix.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contrived 
Adjective
While such generalizations have historically been used to demonize enemies, there is still a contrived tendency to divide the world into land and sea powers.
—Colin Flint, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2024
Using a social realism that is all the more powerful for its restraint, Carreira avoids wild swings and contrived speeches, and trusts the audience to be swept up by a devastating performance of a woman being hollowed out from within by inhumane working conditions.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
The thing is, since o1 is only displaying a contrived chain-of-thought, this means that there is a chance now for AI hallucinations to appear in the visible chain-of-thought.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
That’s the contrived premise of J.J. Perry’s action-comedy, which even manages to throw some romance into its high-concept mix.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for contrived
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrived
Adjective
-
The lifelong New Yorker explained his decision to pack up for Florida in a 2019 post on the social platform X, citing taxes and his strained relationships with state and local leaders.Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
-
In addition, there will need to be some serious operational improvements to remedy the company’s strained relationship with many current and former customers.Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
The union is seeking a $5-an-hour pay increase each of the six years of the contract being negotiated, which would raise top hourly pay 77% over the life of the contract.Chris Isidore and Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 3 Oct. 2024
-
All sales were negotiated by Magnify’s SVP of global sales Lorna Lee Torres and director of global sales Austin Kennedy.Alex Ritman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Wear rubber gloves and clip a mangled licking branch (which holds the forehead and saliva scent of several bucks and does) from atop an active scrape and wire it over a mock scrape near your stand.Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
-
Miller recently pitched a mock trade that would send Crochet to Philadelphia.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
The brand this year also devised a bold new trophy for the Louis Vuitton Cup winner that is literally centuries ahead of the staid 19th-century America’s Cup.Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2024
-
This was originally devised for off-roading but can also be useful for scenarios like maneuvering in a car wash.Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
In that case, too, the final agreement wasn’t over whether their work could ever be manipulated by AI—special effects have existed in movies for a long time, after all—but whether the creator has an informed say in it.Jenn Brice, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024
-
Are the questions and indicators that prompted a computer system creative, or is something creative when only human hands and eyes have directly manipulated it?Megan Poinski, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Now Morisseau, who is half Haitian and half Black American, is exploring a new setting, that of urbane Port-au-Prince, some years after the 2010 earthquake, a natural disaster that brought to the fore, with devastating clarity, the unnatural cycles of exploitation that threaten to define Haiti.Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024
-
While some can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and concerns, many are created with specific consumers and their needs in mind.Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Some understeer has been engineered into the independent double-wishbone suspension, and the NSX is not prone to tail-out antics.Robert Ross, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024
-
The drone was engineered for the maximum capability that could be easily carried by one soldier.David Hambling, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Bear in mind that his campaign was replete with false claims — about immigration, jobs, inflation, crime and more.Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
-
Oz is the Penguin now — like everyone in Batman’s Rogues Gallery, a caricature of his own trauma, drawn to criminal means of false liberation.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
Articles Related to contrived
Thesaurus Entries Near contrived
Cite this Entry
“Contrived.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrived. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share