contrived

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.

Southampton's spying on rival clubs was authorised by head coach Tonda Eckert and was a "contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage", an independent disciplinary panel says.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Cooling their heels in a Venetian jail in 1755, Giacomo Casanova and the prisoner in the cell above him contrived one of the more imaginative escapes in the annals of criminology.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

He Gets Us has been running these strange, Jesus-themed commercials for multiple Super Bowls in a row now, and they’re only getting more contrived.

From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026

But Ali Larijani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday: "Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing."

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

Oppenheimer duly contrived “an elegant theory to rationalize these results,” and when Bohr came for his visit, the work was trotted out for him as a showpiece of Rad Lab science.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik