contrive
verb (used with object)
to plan with ingenuity; devise; invent.
have contrived
-
present perfectof contrive.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
A lesser artist might have contrived a tidier plot or affixed a more ringing lesson, but Bratton seems to be motivated less by didacticism than by curiosity.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
Along with various biological phenomena, including the “extravagant consumption” of carbon by trees, such events have contrived to undermine the greenhouse effect and propel the Earth into a series of protracted ice ages.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2021
The 34-year-old was as overwrought as any testosterone-maddened youngster but could still have contrived a triumph.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 25, 2018
That occurred a moment before the game's major talking point, meaning McDonald could have contrived to get two penalty decisions wrong in the space of three seconds.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 17, 2010
I have contrived a plan for your escape, with the jailer's daughter, which she will make known to you to-morrow.”
From Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason by William Harrison Ainsworth
