contrive

English

Etymology

From Middle English contreve (“to invent”), from Old French controver (Modern French controuver), from trover (“to find”) (French trouver).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənˈtɹaɪv/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪv

Verb

contrive (third-person singular simple present contrives, present participle contriving, simple past and past participle contrived)

1. To invent by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise

   Synonyms: plan, scheme, plot, hatch

   • 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:

     […] I cannot bear the idea of two young women traveling post by themselves. It is highly improper. You must contrive to send somebody.

   • 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter:

     Neither do thou imagine that I shall contrive aught against his life.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 10, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     With a little manœuvring they contrived to meet on the doorstep which was […] in a boiling stream of passers-by, hurrying business people speeding past in a flurry of fumes and dust in the bright haze.

2. To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation.
3. To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To spend (time, or a period).

Synonyms

• becast
• cast about

Derived terms

• contrivable
• contrivance
• contrived
• contrivement
• contriver
• precontrive
• recontrive
• uncontriving

 

Translations

To form by an exercise of ingenuity; to devise; to plan; to scheme; to plot

• Bulgarian: замислям (bg) (zamisljam)
• Catalan: idear (ca)
• Dutch: beramen (nl)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} elpensi
• Finnish: suunnitella (fi)
• French: combiner (fr)
• German: ersinnen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μήδομαι (mḗdomai), ἐπιβολεύω (epiboleúō)

• Italian: combinare (it), programmare (it), intrigare (it), complottare (it), architettare (it), escogitare (it), inventare (it), mettere su
• Ottoman Turkish: پرگارلامق (pergerlemek)
• Russian: замышлять (ru) (zamyšljatʹ)
• Spanish: idear (es), discurrir (es), devisar (es), complotar (es), urdir (es), maquinar (es)
• Swedish: tänka ut (sv)
• Turkish: akıl etmek (tr)

To invent, to make devices; to form designs especially by improvisation

• Bulgarian: изобретявам (bg) (izobretjavam)
• Dutch: ontwerpen (nl)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} aranĝi (eo)
• Finnish: keksiä (fi), improvisoida (fi)
• French: inventer (fr)
• German: entwerfen (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: μηχανάομαι (mēkhanáomai)

• Romanian: inventa (ro), improviza (ro)
• Russian: изобрета́ть (ru) (izobretátʹ)
• Spanish: improvisar (es), inventar (es)
• Turkish: icat etmek (tr), tasarlamak (tr)

To project, cast, or set forth, as in a projection of light

• Dutch: plannen (nl)
• Finnish: heittää (fi)
• German: bewerkstelligen (de)
• Turkish: yolunu bulmak (tr)

Anagrams

• renovict