Contrive

Definition: Contrive

Contrive

Verb

1. Make or work out a plan for; devise; "They contrived to murder their boss"; design a new sales strategy"; "plan an attack".

2. Come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or priciple) after a mental effort; "excogitate a way to measure the speed of light".

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".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "contrive" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Note: Contrive \Con*trive"\, transitive verb. [imperfect & past participle. Contrived; Contriving.]. (Websters 1913)

Synonyms: Contrive

Cunning

Verb: be cunning; Adjective: have cut one's eyeteeth; contrive; (plan); live by one's wits; maneuver; intrigue, gerrymander, finesse, double, temporize, stoop to conquer, reculer pour mieux sauter, circumvent, steal a march upon; overreach; throw off one's guard; surprise; snatch a verdict; waylay, undermine, introduce the thin end of the wedge; play a deep game, play tricks with; ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces; flatter, make things pleasant; have an ax to grind.

Plan

Verb: plan,scheme, design, frame, contrive, project, forecast, sketch; devise, invent; (imagine); set one's wits to work; spring a project; fall upon, hit upon; strike out, chalk out, cut out, lay out, map out; lay down a plan; shape out a course, mark out a course; predetermine; concert, preconcert, preestablish; prepare; hatch, hatch a plot concoct; take steps, take measures.

Production

Verb: produce, perform, operate, do, make, gar, form, construct, fabricate, frame, contrive, manufacture; weave, forge, coin, carve, chisel; build, raise, edify, rear, erect, put together, set up, run up; establish, constitute, compose, organize, institute; achieve, accomplish; (complete).

Success

Gain a point, attain a point, carry a point, secure a point, win a point, win an object; get there; manage to, contrive to; accomplish; (effect, complete); do wonders, work wonders; make a go of it.

Crosswords: Contrive

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

But I was so much displeased, that I entreated Glumdalclitch to contrive some excuse for not seeing that young lady any more.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "contrive": contrive smth. cleverly ♦ contrive somehow ♦ cut and contrive. Additional references.

Albanian

zbuloj (bare, belie, bewray, blurt out, bring out, bring to light, catch, descry, detect, develop, disclose, discover, disinter, distil, distill, divine, divulge, enucleate, explore, ferret, ferret about, ferret out, find, find out, hit, hunt down, invent, look out, open, proclaim, puzzle out, rat, reconnoiter, reconnoitre, reveal, rummage, trace, uncloak, uncover, uncurtain, unearth, unlock, unveil), trilloj (fabricate, feign, fudge, invent), shpik (coin, concoct, devise, fabricate, invent, strike out, weave), shkaktoj (afflict, arouse, beget, breed, bring about, call forth, cause, create, do, draw, effectuate, engender, evoke, give, incur, induce, inflict, inspire, move, procure, produce, put, raise, sow, start, stir, strike, unchain, work, wreak), rregulloj (accommodate, adjust, amend, arrange, attemper, clear up, compose, control, correct, debug, dispose, dispose of, do, fix up, model, modulate, order, patch up, rate, readjust, redress, regularize, regulate, repair, set right, set the tune, settle, shape, Spruce, straighten, tidy up, trim), komplotoj (cabal, compass, connive, conspire, plot, practise). (various references)

Arabic 

‏يوجد وسيلة, ‏لفق (concoct, create, fabricate, fake, forge, fudge, invent, make up, trump up), ‏تدبر (engineering, get along, get by, meditation, see), ‏إستنبط (devise, educe, elicit, evolve, formulate, frame, work out), ‏إخترع (concoct, fabricate, invent, think up, vamp), ‏رسم خططا, ‏دبر (administer, brew, cogitate, concoct, conduct, devise, engineer, lay, prepare, set, spare). (various references)

Bulgarian 

смогвам (manage), замислям (compass, design, hatch, meditate, plan), изхитрям се (shift), изобретявам (devise, invent), измислям (coin, conceive, concoct, cook up, devise, dream up, evolve, excogitate, fabricate, fake, feign, figure out, frame up, incubate, invent, manufacture, think up, trump, weave). (various references)

Chinese 

諆 (deceive), 策�' (Contrived, Contriving, scheming). (various references)

Czech

vynalézt (invent), vymyslit (cook up, excogitate, form, hammer out, make up, think up), podařit se (come out well, succeed), docílit (attain). (various references)

Farsi 

تعبیه کردن (Devise, Improvise, Workout), تدبیرکردن (Compass, Devise, Engine, Meditate, Workout), طرح ریزی کردن (Outline, Plot, Project). (various references)

French

combiner (combine, compound, concoct), trouver un moyen pour faire, s'arranger, inventer (concoct). (various references)

German

sich etw. ausdenken (devise, imagine, make up, plan, think out, think through, think up), entwickeln (construct, contract, develop, develope, display, educe, evolve, expand, generate, process, produce, to develop, to device, to educe, to evolve, to generate, unfold, work up), entwerfen (clone, create, depict, design, designing, devise, draft, draw, draw up, form, make a project of, map out, outline, plan, project, sketch, sketching, style, to clone, to conceptualize, to delineate, to draw up, to style), bewerkstelligen (bring off, effect, manage), aushecken (brew, concoct, cook up, hatch up, plot, scheme, think up, to concoct), ausdenken (conceive, concoct, devise, imagine, invent, make through, make up, plan, strikeout, think of, think out, think up, to conceive, to invent, to think out, work out). (various references)

Greek 

εφευρίσκω (invent). (various references)

Hebrew 

לתחבל (circumvent, wangle), לתכ� ן (design, devise, engineer, map, plan, plot, project, scheme, style, think up), ל�"מציא (devise, excogitate, furnish, invent, make up, originate, present, provide, submit, think up). (various references)

Hungarian

kiagyal (concoct, cook up, mastermind, to concoct, to cook up, to mint), feltalál (invent, to contrive, to father, to invent). (various references)

Indonesian

menyusun (arrange, assort, compilate, conceive, configure, constitute, run along), membuat (do, establish, make, manufacture). (various references)

Italian

congegnare (assemble, fit together), cavarsela (get away with, manage, scrape along, scrape by, scrape through), inventare (cook up, fabricate, forge, frame, invent, spin, think up), ideare (conceive, design, plan, think up), fare piani (plan), fare in modo di, escogitare (devise, think up), effettuare (accomplish, achieve, bring about, carry out, effect, effectuate, expedite, export, make, perform, realize, take effect, take place). (various references)

Manx

saasaghey (remedy, satisfy), lhiassaghey (allege, amend, ascribe, ascription, charge, charge imputation, contriving, fabricate, fabrication, improve, make up, preserve). (various references)

Pig Latin

ontrivecay

Portuguese

planejar (arrange, brood, cogitate, compass, concert, concoct, conspire, count, design, frame, intend, lay, map, meditate, plan, program, programme, project, propone, propose, purpose, schedule, scheme, straighten out, trace, work out), maquinar (machinate, plan, plot, practice, practise, scheme), inventar (coin, concoct, cook up, create, devise, discover, dream up, feign, forge, fudge, invent, make up, manufacture, mint), imaginar (conceit, conceive, concoct, deem, devise, dream, engineer, excogitate, expect, fable, fabricate, fancy, figure, guess, ideate, image, imagine, make believe, see, suppose, think, weave), governar a casa, forjar (coin, cook up, fabricate, feign, forge, fudge, invent, manipulate, manufacture, mint, wangle), efetuar (accomplish, achieve, effect, effectuate, implement, make, perform, realize, transact). (various references)

Romanian

combina (arrange, blend, combine, compound, concoct, devise, group, hammer out, joint, match, mix, piece, put together, temper), se descurca (disentangle, extricate oneself, live on one's wits, manage, rub along, rub on, shift, unravel), reuşi (answer, be a success, bring home the bacon, do well, go on, hit, make one's mark, manage, pan out, pass, pay off, prevail, prosper, qualify, speed, strike, strike oil, succeed, win, work), pune la cale (brew, cogitate, compass, cook, engineer, excogiate, hatch, meditate, scheme, stage), nãscoci (concoct, cook, devise, discover, fabricate, feign, forge, frame, fudge, get up, invent, make up, manufacture, shape, spin out, start, trump up), izbuti (manage, prevail, succeed, work), inventa (coin, concoct, devise, discover, fable, fabricate, feign, find, find oneself, frame, fudge, invent, make up, manufacture, originate, plot, shape), face planuri (scheme), aranja (adjust, arrange, clench, compose, compound, concert, conclude, dispose, do, do out, engineer, fiddle, fix, fix up, impose, juggle, Marshal, order, organize, pose, posture, put in order, put to rights, put up, set, set out, set to rights, settle, size, stage, Stow, straighten, suit, tidy, tidy up, trim). (various references)

Russian 

изобретать (devise, invent, inventing). (various references)

Scottish

dealbh (delineate, devise, figure, form, image, picture, shape). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

naumiti (conceive, decide), izumeti (devise, invent), izmišljati (fabricate, flam), dovijati se. (various references)

Spanish

tramar (concoct, cook up, engineer, hatch, plot, put up, scheme, weave), planear (arrange, clone, delineate, design, devise, glide, mastermind, model, plan, plane, program, programme, project, sail, set up), inventarse (feign), idear por (devise, excogitate), idear (comprehend, design, develop, devise, dream up, grasp, ideate, invent, originate, realize, think, think out, think up, understand), efectuar (bring about, effect, effectuate, make, prosecute, stage, throw in, to cause), darse maña. (various references)

Swedish

lyckas (click, come off, get ahead, luck out, make good, manage, pan out, succeed), hitta på (conceive, concoct, devise, dream up, excogitate, fabricate, fake, fake up, feign, find out, invent, manufacture). (various references)

Turkish

yapmak (accomplish, achieve, acquit oneself, act, architect, build, carry out, carve out, create, do, engineer, establish, execute, fashion, father, fulfil, fulfill, get, go over, go through, have, implement, land, make, perform, perpetrate, ply, practice, practise, produce, profess, put on, put through, set, take, transact, turn out, weave), tasarlamak (architect, blue print, calculate, cast about, cast around, contemplate, design, devise, draft, draught, fix, forecast, incubate, mean, meditate, plan, premeditate, project, propose, purpose, ruminate, scheme, skeletonize, spin, think out, think up, trace), planlamak (architect, arrange, blue print, calculate, chart, concert, design, devise, draft, have in view, map, mark out, plan, premeditate, program, programme, project, structure, think, work up), icat etmek (cogitate, devise, dream up, father, invent, mint, originate, strike out), ev idare etmek, bulmak (ascertain, clear up, cogitate, devise, discover, find, go for, happen on, happen upon, hit, invent, meet, obtain, procure, provide with, reach, reason, strike, strike out, study out, turn up), başarmak (accomplish, achieve, arrive, bring home the bacon, bring off, carry out, carry through, click, come through, compass, conquer, get things done, get through, hit the mark, make out, negotiate, overcome, pan out, pan out well, prosper, pull off, sew up, succeed, swing, tackle, win through). (various references)

Turkmen 

tos-toslamak (invent). (various references)

Ukrainian

ухитрятися (make shift), вигадувати (coin, conceit, concoct, devise, dream up, excogitate, fabricate, feign, fib, fudge, invent, make believe, mint, romance, think out), винаходити (invent), затівати (agitate, brew, plan, try). (various references)

tropos. (various references)

com-, eser, excogitabit, excogitandi, excogitandum, excogitat, excogitatio, excogitato, excogitatum, excogitaverat, excogitavit, fingo, fingo, finxi, fictum, fingo-finxi-fictum, finxi, iesser, incogito, invenerim, invenerint, inveneris, invenerit, inveneritis, invenero, invenerunt, inveneruntque, inveni, inveniam, inveniamini, inveniamus, inveniant, inveniantur, inveniar, inveniat, inveniatis, inveniatur, inveniebant, inveniebantur, inveniebatur, inveniemus, inveniens, invenient, invenientes, invenienti, invenientibus, invenientur, invenieris, invenies, inveniet, invenietis, invenietur, invenimur, invenimus, invenio, invenire, invenirem, invenirent, inveniret, inveniri, invenisse, invenissemus, invenissent, invenisset, invenissetis, invenisti, invenistis, invenit, invenitque, invenitur, inveniunt, inveniuntur, inventa, inventae, inventaeque, inventamque, inventi, inventique, inventis, invento, inventum, inventus, inventusque, molior, ser, seram, seras, serat, seratur, serent, serenti, serere, seres, sereser, seret, seretis, seretisque, seri, seris, serit, serite, seritur, sero, sertum, seruerimus, serueris, seruit, serunt, servi, servimus, servique, servistis, servit. (various references)

contropare. (various references)

controver, deviser. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "contrive": contrived, contriver, contrivers, contrives. (additional references)

Words containing "contrive": uncontrived. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Contrive" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: centive, Centlivre, centrif, Condrieu, Congrieve, contrav, contri, contrice, contride, contrieve, contriever, contrire, contrivd, controv. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: cointer, convert, corvine, evictor, noticer.

-2 letters: citron, coiner, cornet, cortin, corvet, covert, cretin, erotic, invert, noetic, norite, notice, novice, orcein, orient, recoin, renvoi, tonier, vector, victor, voicer.

-3 letters: cento, citer, civet, conte, coven, cover, covet, covin, crone, envoi, evict, inert, inter, intro, irone, nicer, niter, nitre, nitro, noter, ontic, orcin, overt, ovine, recon.

+1 letter: contrived, contriver, contrives, reconvict, vectoring.

+2 letters: coinventor, coinvestor, contortive, contrivers, converting, overacting, overaction, reconvicts, revocation, vacationer, ventricose, vociferant, voiceprint.

+3 letters: coinventors, coinvestors, contractive, contrastive, contrivance, convertible, convertibly, countervail, counterview, divorcement, eigenvector, insectivore, involucrate, neuroactive, noncreative, nonreactive, overactions, overcasting, overcaution, overcutting, reconvicted, revocations, uncontrived, vacationers, voiceprints.

+4 letters: coacervation, consecrative, conservation, conservatism, conservative, conservatize, constrictive, constructive, contravening, contributive, contrivances, conventicler, conversation, convertibles, coordinative, countervails, counterviews, divorcements, eigenvectors, evisceration, insectivores, interconvert, intervocalic, nondirective, overcastings, overcautions, overcounting, overdiscount, overexciting, overmatching, overreacting, overreaction, overstocking, precognitive, privatdocent, reactivation, reconverting, reconvicting, reconviction, unproductive, verification, vociferating, vociferation.