contrivance

noun

the act of devising something

any improvised arrangement for temporary use

an artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived arrangement of details or parts etc.

an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade

the faculty of contriving

a device or control that is very useful for a particular job

Roots

tropostriv- · Greek · find, devise

Synonyms for contrivance

stratagemn contraptionn artificen machinationn gadgetn rusen ployn gizmon subterfugen gimmickn underplot trickeryn appliancen chicaneryn counterplotn inventionn

Synonyms & related words for contrivance

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of contrivance — including stratagem, contraption, artifice, machination, gadget, ruse. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to contrivance

Explore words related to contrivance — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include devisal, contrivement, contrive, contrivable, counterploy, machinate, contriver, devise. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for contrivance

Common synonyms for contrivance include stratagem, contraption, artifice, machination, gadget, ruse, ploy, gizmo — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does contrivance come from?

The word contrivance breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root triv-, from Greek tropos (“find, devise”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.