contraption

[ kuh n-trap-shuh n ]
/ kənˈtræp ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR contraption ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Informal.

a mechanical contrivance; gadget; device.

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Origin of contraption

1815–25; perhaps contr(ivance) + (ad)aption, variant of adaptation

OTHER WORDS FROM contraption

con·trap·tious, adjective

Words nearby contraption

contraplete, contrapose, contraposition, contrapositive, contrapposto, contraption, contrapuntal, contrapuntist, contrarian, contrariety, contrarily
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to contraption

rig, gadget, appliance, contrivance, gizmo, widget, apparatus, doohickey, mechanism, machine, thingamajig

Example sentences from the Web for contraption

British Dictionary definitions for contraption

contraption
/ (kənˈtræpʃən) /

noun

informal, often facetious, or derogatory a device or contrivance, esp one considered strange, unnecessarily intricate, or improvised

Word Origin for contraption

C19: perhaps from con (trivance) + trap 1 + (inven) tion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012