Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Obviously planned or calculated; not spontaneous or natural; labored.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Simple past tense and past participle of contrive.
  • adjective unnatural, forced

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective showing effects of planning or manipulation
  • adjective artificially formal

Etymologies

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Examples

  • ANDERSON: Former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright both have written letters to Robert Iger, the head of Disney, ABC's parent company, to complain about what they call contrived scenes which bear no relationship to actual events, and scenes that are false and defamatory.

    CNN Transcript Sep 8, 2006 2006

  • The U.S. government is to stop using the term "illegal enemy combatants," a label contrived by the Bush administration to justify detaining people indefinitely without ever bringing them before a court or even granting them prisoner-of-war status.

    Embassy 2009

  • The US government is to stop using the term "illegal enemy combatants," a label contrived by the Bush administration to justify detaining people indefinitely without ever bringing them before a court or even granting them prisoner-of-war status.

    Vue Weekly 2009

  • Everything Adam said about BSII being self-satisfied and contrived is correct.

    This Week in DVD & Blu-ray: Up in the Air, Precious, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, and More | /Film 2010

  • The "value" of 1p to 6p is a fiction contrived from the price of actual paid tickets.

    Pseudo-currency, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • They had to rely on descriptions and their imagination and, as was the fashion of the time, the animals were placed in contrived settings and often given human facial qualities, which only serves to heighten the sense of bizarre.

    Boing Boing: November 19, 2006 - November 25, 2006 Archives 2006

  • An actress who's barely believable as a high school graduate, with a name contrived merely for that one incredibly lame line.

    Lame Bond & Lame Dave David Campbell 2006

  • Courcelles succeeded in robbing the prisoners who were in his charge in a more cautious manner than his predecessor; he, in short, contrived to subtract something for himself from any remittances which reached them, and paid them francs for livres.

    The Letter-Bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope — Volume 1 A. M. W. [Compiler] Stirling

  • How Mrs. Minchin contrived to keep her own feet and to nurse the poor boy as she did was a marvel.

    Six to Sixteen: A Story for Girls 1872

  • The notable Mrs. Mittin contrived soon to so usefully ingratiate herself in the favour of Mr. Dennel, that, in the full persuasion she would save him half his annual expences, he married her: but her friend, Mr. Clykes, was robbed in his journey home of the cash which he had so dishonourably gained.

    Camilla: or, A Picture of Youth 1796

Comments

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  • A perfectly ambiguous insult.

    December 3, 2007