contrived
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of contrived
Explanation
If you see something that seems fake since it was too perfectly planned out, call it contrived. If you can easily predict the final minutes of a made-for-TV movie, then call it contrived. The adjective contrived describes something that is artificially planned, especially in an obvious way, so it comes across as faked or forced. It's not just drama that can come off as contrived. Someone's speech habits, wardrobe, or even personality can seem contrived. Whenever someone appears as if he or she is "trying too hard," they might seem contrived, or the opposite of "natural."
Vocabulary lists containing contrived
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1984
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Contrived scheduling is part of cricket's multi-team tournaments, where other teams might feel like bit players.
From BBC • Aug. 31, 2023
Contrived group dancing meant the probability of a handsome guy asking me to dance was nada, but the bigger problem was my feet.
From Forbes • Feb. 2, 2011
Contrived to leave viewers feeling scared silly rather than profoundly shaken, this tournament of terror spells instant stardom for two relatively uncelebrated English performers, Samantha Eggar and Terence Stamp, although Stamp is seriously miscast.
From Time Magazine Archive
Contrived and perverse as it is, Firbank's world seems curiously real.
From Time Magazine Archive
Contrived at the rear of the dining room, a double door opened, and I entered a room whose dimensions equaled the one I had just left.
From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
