contrived

[kuhn-trahyvd]

adjective

1. obviously planned or forced; artificial; strained.

   a contrived story.

contrived

/ kənˈtraɪvd /

adjective

1. obviously planned, artificial, or lacking in spontaneity; forced; unnatural

Other Word Forms

• contrivedly adverb
• uncontrived adjective
• well-contrived adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contrived¹

First recorded in 1505–15; contrive + -ed ²

Example Sentences

And it’s here that “Keeper” starts to unravel, the arrestingly pristine visuals and hypnotic rhythms giving way to contrived explanations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Instead they stepped in to prevent the failure of the big Wall Street firms that had contrived to bankrupt themselves by making a lot of dumb bets on subprime borrowers.

Read more on Literature

In a film so terrible, Wever stands out as its only bright spot, initially making her performance seem uniquely bad and strangely contrived when, in fact, it’s easily the best of the bunch.

Read more on Salon

The problem with “The Heart Sellers” is that Luna and Jane are saddled with a contrived premise that doesn’t allow them sufficient room for dramatic complexity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr. Johnson does not seem quite comfortable putting a plot in motion, and the novel’s ending is somehow both haphazard and contrived.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• false 
• phony