contrived; contriving; contrives
1
: to make schemes
contriver
noun
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
This time, specific references were stripped away, leaving only a distillation of the dark rage evoked by metal and punk, equal parts elemental and contrived.
—
Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Someone’s phone is always vibrating, a gimmick that often strikes me as contrived in a movie-movie but feels totally normalized in a reality-movie like The Moment.
—Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
Themes flow into the story from the Playhouse’s program in ways that don’t seem forced or contrived.
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Well, the first and third mucked up their stories with some overly contrived lore about cults and gods, and the fourth was an experiment for the formula that didn’t quite work.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contrive
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Rachel Wetzler, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
Someone’s phone is always vibrating, a gimmick that often strikes me as contrived in a movie-movie but feels totally normalized in a reality-movie like The Moment.
—Anna Gaca, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
Themes flow into the story from the Playhouse’s program in ways that don’t seem forced or contrived.
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Well, the first and third mucked up their stories with some overly contrived lore about cults and gods, and the fourth was an experiment for the formula that didn’t quite work.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contrive
Cite this Entry
“Contrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrive. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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
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