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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. The act of contriving.
  2. n. The state of being contrived.
  3. n. Something contrived, as a mechanical device or a clever plan.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. The act of contriving, inventing, devising, or planning the disposition or combination of things or acts, for a particular purpose.
  2. n. The thing contrived, planned, or invented; a device, especially a mechanical one; an artifice; a scheme; a stratagem.
  3. n. Synonyms 2. Plan, invention, design; machination, stratagem; Device, Shift, etc. See expedient, n.

Wiktionary

  1. n. a (mechanical) device to perform a certain task
  2. n. a means, such as an elaborate plan or strategy, to accomplish a certain objective
  3. n. something overly artful or artificial

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. The act or faculty of contriving, inventing, devising, or planning.
  2. n. The thing contrived, invented, or planned; disposition of parts or causes by design; a scheme; plan; artifice; arrangement.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade
  2. n. an artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived arrangement of details or parts etc.
  3. n. any improvised arrangement for temporary use
  4. n. the faculty of contriving; inventive skill
  5. n. the act of devising something
  6. n. a device or control that is very useful for a particular job

Examples

  • “When the level of narrative contrivance is such that anything can happen or be forgotten in the space of a week, then nothing matters.”

    MIND MELD: If We Ran Battlestar Galactica

  • “The contrivance is seen to hold a function, and it is recognized by its inherent design.”

    Ambiguity Tolerance

  • “A contrivance is some abstract contortion that is said to describe reality, except that the contrivance comes with a felt emotionality that may invite deeper revelation, or the emotionality may come off as deceptive.”

    Ambiguity Tolerance

  • “Although the Down East accents of the lyrics are a Hammerstein contrivance, the setting is harshly realistic in ways we tend to forget, perhaps because we usually think of Maine as a scenic travel destination.”

    Out of Our Dreams

  • “What else would you call a contrivance that can take you to cities where ancient civilizations once flourished?”

    Simon & Schuster: SERPENT

  • “Sir Thomas had indeed proposed to her at the ball, an event which reflected great credit on her mama's sagacity, if not upon her skill in contrivance; I rather incline to the belief that she had first laid her plans, and then predicted their success.”

    Agnes Grey

  • “The life of this contrivance is short when used in open stopes, owing to the dangers of bombardment from blasting.”

    Principles of Mining Valuation, Organization and Administration

  • “All mechanical contrivance is habit materialised; it is continued action without any effort of will, except in the beginning.”

    Zoe: The History of Two Lives

  • “The contrivance is wonderful, the design being laid by infinite wisdom; the performance is wonderful, being put in execution by infinite power.”

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon)

  • “Therefore, speculation and conjecture create the contrivance, which is promoted (continuously, mind you) as the controversy, and then wrapped in the 'nobleness' of a conspiracy – period. by”

    Swine Flu-- Normal or Malignant?

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‘contrivance’ has been looked up 2440 times, loved by 5 people, added to 27 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 18.