Con·trive v. t. [imp. & p. p. Contrived p. pr. & vb. n. Contriving.] 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.
contrived
adj 1: showing effects of planning or manipulation; "a novel with a
contrived ending"
2: artificially formal; "that artificial humility that her
husband hated"; "contrived coyness"; "a stilted letter of
acknowledgment"; "when people try to correct their speech
they develop a stilted pronunciation" [syn: artificial,
hokey, stilted]