contrived; contriving
1
: to make schemes
contriver
noun
Synonyms
Examples of contrive in a Sentence
The prisoners contrived a way to escape.
He contrived a meeting with the president.
Recent Examples on the Web
Not all movies need to serve up profound insights into the human condition, but the ones that don’t should at least be entertaining, and Twohy’s particular strain of absurdism is not just contrived, but deeply unfunny.
—
Peter Debruge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025
The moral guardrails that hold our society together are not anything contrived by humans, but given by God.
—Lauren Green, Fox News, 17 Nov. 2024
Bryant didn’t like anything phony, anything contrived, anything that interfered with the serious business of winning a championship.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
The whole city, this vast, thirsty project sprouting from the desert, is contrived—and no less beautiful for it.
—Will Bahr, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for contrive 
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.
Peter Debruge, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025
The moral guardrails that hold our society together are not anything contrived by humans, but given by God.
—Lauren Green, Fox News, 17 Nov. 2024
Bryant didn’t like anything phony, anything contrived, anything that interfered with the serious business of winning a championship.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
The whole city, this vast, thirsty project sprouting from the desert, is contrived—and no less beautiful for it.
—Will Bahr, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for contrive
Dictionary Entries Near contrive
Cite this Entry
“Contrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrive. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
contrive
verb
con·trive
kən-ˈtrīv 
contrived; contriving
1
: plan entry 2 sense 1, plot
contrive a way to escape
2
: to form or make in a skillful or clever way : invent
3
: bring about, manage
contriving to make ends meet
contriver
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share