Adjacent Words

Contrive definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CONTRIVE, v.t.
1. To invent; to devise; to plan.
Our poet has always some beautiful design, which he first establishes, and then contrives the means which will naturally conduct him to his end.
2. To wear out.
[This must be from the L. Contero, contrivi, and if the French controuver, and Italian controvare, are the same word differently applied, the primary sense is, to invent by rubbing, that is, by ruminating; or to strike out, as in forge. But the word is probably from trouver, to find.]
CONTRIVE, v.i. To form or design; to plan; to scheme.
How shall we contrive to hide our shame? [This verb is really transitive, but followed by a verb, in the place of an object or name.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make or work out a plan for; devise; "They contrived to murder their boss"; "design a new sales strategy"; "plan an attack" [syn: plan, project, contrive, design]
2: come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; "excogitate a way to measure the speed of light" [syn: invent, contrive, devise, excogitate, formulate, forge]
3: put or send forth; "She threw the flashlight beam into the corner"; "The setting sun threw long shadows"; "cast a spell"; "cast a warm light" [syn: project, cast, contrive, throw]

Merriam Webster's

verb (contrived; contriving) 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 troubador Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. devise, plan <contrive ways of handling the situation> b. to form or create in an artistic or ingenious manner <contrived household utensils from stone> 2. to bring about by stratagem or with difficulty ; manage <he contrived to win their support> intransitive verb to make schemes • contriver noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 devise; plan or make resourcefully or with skill. 2 (often foll. by to + infin.) manage (contrived to make matters worse). Derivatives: contrivable adj. contriver n. Etymology: ME f. OF controver find, imagine f. med.L contropare compare

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contrive Con*trive", v. i. To make devices; to form designs; to plan; to scheme; to plot. The Fates with traitors do contrive. --Shak. Thou hast contrived against th very life Of the defendant. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Contrive Con*trive", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Contrived; p. pr. & vb. n. Contriving.] [OE. contriven, contreven, controven, to invent, OF. controver, contruver; con- + trouver to find. See Troubadour, trover.] To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to invent; to design; to plan. What more likely to contrive this admirable frame of the universe than infinite wisdom. --Tillotson. neither do thou imagine that I shall contrive aught against his life. --Hawthorne. Syn: To invent; discover; plan; design; project; plot; concert; hatch.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(contrives, contriving, contrived) 1. If you contrive an event or situation, you succeed in making it happen, often by tricking someone. (FORMAL) The oil companies were accused of contriving a shortage of gasoline to justify price increases. VERB: V n 2. If you contrive to do something difficult, you succeed in doing it. (FORMAL) The orchestra contrived to produce some of its best playing for years. VERB: V to-inf

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Devise, plan, design, invent, project, hatch, brew, form, frame, concoct, fall upon, hit upon, strike out, chalk out. II. v. n. 1. Scheme, plot, plan, consider, set one's wits to work, rack one's brains, cudget one's brains, strain one's invention, cast about. 2. Manage, make out.

Moby Thesaurus

angle, arrange, be so, be such, beget, breed, bring, bring forth, bring into being, bring on, calculate, call forth, call into being, cast, clear, clear the hurdle, cogitate, coin, collogue, collude, come along, come on, come out, come through, conceive, concert, concoct, connive, conspire, cook up, cut out, cut the mustard, design, develop, devise, discover, draw down, draw on, dream up, effect, elaborate, elicit, engender, engineer, evoke, evolve, fabricate, fare, fashion, figure, finagle, forecast, formulate, frame, generate, gerrymander, get, get along, get by, get on, give being to, give rise to, go along, go on, hack it, handle, hatch, hatch up, improvise, induce, inspire, instigate, intend, intrigue, invent, jockey, lay plans, lead, machinate, make, make a projection, make arrangements, make do with, make it, make out, make the grade, make up, manage, manage somehow, maneuver, manipulate, manufacture, mature, methodize, mint, motivate, move, muddle through, negotiate, obtain, organize, originate, play games, plot, prearrange, procreate, procure, program, project, provoke, pull strings, put over, put through, rationalize, rig, schedule, schematize, scheme, scrape along, set up, shape, shape up, spawn, stack up, strike out, succeed in, superinduce, swing, swing the deal, systematize, think out, think up, turn out, vamp up, wangle, work out, work up, worry along