contrive
verb
con·trive kən-ˈtrīv 
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
Synonyms
- concoct
- construct
- cook (up)
- devise
- drum up
- excogitate
- fabricate
- invent
- make up
- manufacture
- think (up)
- trump up
- vamp (up)
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The prisoners contrived a way to escape. He contrived a meeting with the president.
Recent Examples on the Web The economic plan is to pretend the bad news isn’t happening or contrive some distraction. 
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 28 July 2022 This plot hole leaves room to contrive a situation in which Kya, whose father eventually leaves too, lives alone in her tiny family house that sits on acres of marshland. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 July 2022 What evolves in that office belies the impersonal surroundings, but not in the soapy ways a writer of lesser gifts might contrive. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 27 May 2022 The House may even contrive a reason to impeach the President, if only for the fun of it. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 1 May 2022 These verbal ornaments give the actors something to work with, lines to inflect and emotions to contrive, as hectic distractions from the fact that their characters are purely puppets, pulled by the dictatorial strings of plot. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022 Unless the Russians contrive a clever reason to desist, the next stage will likely involve the broad deployment of heavy artillery and the beginning of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 1 Mar. 2022 This time, though, there’s no theme to contrive to fit; just look at the headlines about events and trends of the current day. Washington Post, 10 June 2021 Craving heroes, the filmmakers contrive a celebrities-of-color fantasy that’s woke — and dull. Armond White, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021 See More
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 28 July 2022 This plot hole leaves room to contrive a situation in which Kya, whose father eventually leaves too, lives alone in her tiny family house that sits on acres of marshland. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 July 2022 What evolves in that office belies the impersonal surroundings, but not in the soapy ways a writer of lesser gifts might contrive. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 27 May 2022 The House may even contrive a reason to impeach the President, if only for the fun of it. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 1 May 2022 These verbal ornaments give the actors something to work with, lines to inflect and emotions to contrive, as hectic distractions from the fact that their characters are purely puppets, pulled by the dictatorial strings of plot. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022 Unless the Russians contrive a clever reason to desist, the next stage will likely involve the broad deployment of heavy artillery and the beginning of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 1 Mar. 2022 This time, though, there’s no theme to contrive to fit; just look at the headlines about events and trends of the current day. Washington Post, 10 June 2021 Craving heroes, the filmmakers contrive a celebrities-of-color fantasy that’s woke — and dull. Armond White, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021 See More 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
Kids Definition
contrive
verb
con·trive kən-ˈtrīv
contrived; contriving
1
: plan entry 2 sense 1, plot
We must contrive a way to escape.
2
: to form or make in some skillful or clever way
He contrived a small pipe out of the piece of wood.
3
: to manage to bring about or do
She contrived to get there on time.
contrives
verb
1
as in concocts
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination contrived abstract metal sculptures using old household utensils Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- concocts
- devises
- invents
- constructs
- designs
- manufactures
- produces
- conceives
- hatches
- fabricates
- drums up
- envisions
- excogitates
- improvises
- trumps up
- envisages
- makes up
- comes up with
- visualizes
- dreams
- fantasizes
- thinks (up)
- cooks (up)
- daydreams
- vamps (up)
- visions
- coins
- imagines
- extemporizes
- pictures
- ad-libs
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- imitates
- reproduces
- replicates
- mimics
- copies
- duplicates
- clones
- reduplicates
- copycats
2
as in plots
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
- plots
- schemes
- conspires
- connives
- colludes
- intrigues
- plans
- devises
- concocts
- counterplots
- manipulates
- machinates
- hatches
- engineers
- compasses
- designs
- maneuvers
- puts up
- shapes
- jockeys
- maps
- brews
- cooks (up)
- frames
- lays out
3
as in negotiates
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
- negotiates
- arranges
- manipulates
- plots
- manages
- engineers
- wangles
- maneuvers
- finagles
- finesses
- concludes
- masterminds
- frames
- concocts
- connives
- schemes
- machinates
- intrigues
- conducts
- directs
- hatches
- works out
- concerts
- handles
- hammers out
- compasses
- brews
- commands
- captains
- gerrymanders
- runs
- angles (for)
- quarterbacks
- cooks (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- botches
- bungles
- mangles
- blows
- fumbles
- mishandles
- butchers
- flubs
- bobbles
- messes (up)
- gums (up)
- muffs
- louses up