Find the synonyms or antonyms of a word



Antonyms for contriving


Grammar : Verb
Spell : kuhn-trahyv
Phonetic Transcription : kənˈtraɪv



Definition of contriving

Origin :
  • early 14c., from Old French controver (Modern French controuver) "to find out, contrive, imagine," from Late Latin contropare "to compare" (via a figure of speech), from Latin com- "with" (see com-) + tropus "song, musical mode," from Greek tropos "figure of speech" (see trope).
  • Sense evolution (in French) was from "invent with ingenuity" to "invent falsely." Spelled contreve until unexplained 15c. sound change that also affected briar, friar, choir. Related: Contrived; contriving.
  • verb invent, design
  • verb bring about, succeed with difficulty
Example sentences :
  • To these scanty means of improvement, she added another of her own contriving.
  • Extract from : « Little Dorrit » by Charles Dickens
  • And so I was contriving to do all I could to guard against the latter.
  • Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
  • It is plain enough to me that certain people are contriving for his ruin.
  • Extract from : « The Symposium » by Xenophon
  • A man that's so ready for a contingency has generally some hand in contriving it.'
  • Extract from : « The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. I (of II) » by Charles James Lever
  • Does he keep him in mind years and years and go on contriving miseries for him?
  • Extract from : « Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete » by Albert Bigelow Paine
  • And this was a special job, of his own contriving, and of considerable novelty.
  • Extract from : « Victory » by Joseph Conrad
  • The conditions were all of the experimenters' own contriving.
  • Extract from : « The Shadow World » by Hamlin Garland
  • And first he joined the Latins to the Romans, contriving the matter in this fashion.
  • Extract from : « Stories From Livy » by Alfred Church
  • To Wauna it was a revelation of magnificence in nature beyond her contriving.
  • Extract from : « Mizora: A Prophecy » by Mary E. Bradley
  • Such a contriving and racking of brains as Polly and Ben set up after this!
  • Extract from : « Five Little Peppers And How They Grew » by Margaret Sidney

Synonyms for contriving

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019