contrive

verb

con·​trive kən-ˈtrīv How to pronounce contrive (audio)
contrived; contriving

transitive verb

1
a
: devise, plan
contrive ways of handling the situation
The prisoners contrived a way to escape.
b
: to form or create in an artistic or ingenious manner
contrived household utensils from stone
Native Americans contrived weapons out of stone, wood, and bone.
2
: to bring about by stratagem or with difficulty : manage
he contrived to win their support

intransitive verb

: 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 And as friends, strangers and even the local news station join the herculean effort, clichéd stabs at greater meaning make this true story feel strangely contrived. Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 China’s claims to kinship with the global South are cynical and contrived. Happymon Jacob, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2023 The business cases often seem contrived or won’t close when all the costs and alternatives are considered. Greg Autry, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Some of that controversy has been contrived by the outfit’s political opponents, but some of it — such as the use of members’ dues to fund the lavish lifestyles of LaPierre and his colleagues — has been real. David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 Perhaps the most common question type in these is the request for personal advice on how to handle some outrageous scenario contrived for maximum shock value. Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2024 In contrast to the often cliché and contrived female characters found in rom-coms, Sydney Sweeney aimed for authenticity with her character, Bea. Alexandra Koster, refinery29.com, 19 Dec. 2023 When the support of a policy, tradition, or regime is largely contrived, a minor event may activate a bandwagon that generates massive yet unanticipated change. James Freeman, WSJ, 5 Jan. 2024 Its claims to kinship with global South countries are cynical and a touch contrived. Happymon Jacob, Foreign Affairs, 25 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contrive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English controven, contreven, from Anglo-French controver, contrever, from Medieval Latin contropare to compare, from Latin com- + Vulgar Latin *tropare to compose, find — more at troubadour

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of contrive was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near contrive

Cite this Entry

“Contrive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrive. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

contrive

verb
con·​trive kən-ˈtrīv How to pronounce contrive (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on contrive

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