Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. Men have a right that these wants should be provided for by this wisdom.
Source: tatoeba (1856700)
Contrivance
/kənˈtɹaɪ.vəns/
Synonyms for "contrivance" (281 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (57)
actionad hoc measureagentanagnorisisancillaangleanswerapparatusapplianceapproacharchitectonicsarchitectureargumentarrangementartartful dodgeartificeatmosphereattackauthorship
Show 31 more words
backgroundbeginningblindblueprintblueprintingbrainchildcabalcalculationcatastrophecharacterizationcharlie mccarthychartingchicanerycoinagecollusioncolorcomplicationcomplicitycomplotconceptionconcoctionconfederacyconnivanceconspiracycontinuitycontraptioncontrivingcountermovecounterplotcoupcourse of action
Strong matches (84)
covincraftcreationcreative effortcreaturecute trickdeceitdeep-laid plotdemarchedenouementdesigndevelopmentdevicedevisingdispositiondodgedummydupeeffortengineering
Show 53 more words
enterpriseenvisagementepisodeexpedientfablefabricationfakementfalling actionfeintfetchfiguringfinaglingfinessefixtureforesightforethoughtframe upframe-upgadgetgambitgamegenerationgimcrackgimmickgizmogo betweengo-betweengraphinggriftground planguidelineguidelineshand toolhandmaidhandmaidenhatchingideaimplementimprovisationincidentinstrumentintentioninteragentintermediaryintermediateintermediumintrigueinventionjuggleryjury rigjury-rigjury-rigged expedientknavery
Related words (140)
last expedientlast resortlast shiftlayoutleverlinelineuplittle gamelocal colorlong-range planmachinationmachinemachinerymakeshiftmaking domaneuvermaneuveringmanipulationmappingmaster plan
Show 112 more words
meansmeans to an endmeasuremechanical devicemechanismmediatormediummethodmethodologymidwifeminionmintagemoodmotifmovemovementmythosoperations researchorganorganizationoriginationpawnperipeteiapicturepis allerplanplanningplanning functionplaythingplotplottingploypower toolprearrangementprecision toolprocedureprogramprogram of actionpuppetracketrationalizationrecognitionred herringresortresourceriggingrising actionrusescheduleschemaschematismschematizationschemescheme of arrangementschemeryschemingsecondary plotservantsetupshake upshake-upshiftslantslavesleightsolutionspeed toolstepstoogestopgapstorystratagemstrategic planstrategystrokestroke of policystructuresubjectsubplotsubterfugeswitchsystemsystematizationtactictactical plantacticstemporary expedientthe big picturethe picturethematic developmentthemethingtonetooltopictoytricktrickerytrumptwistunderplotutensilvehiclewayweb of intriguewilewily devicewire pullingwire-pullingworking hypothesisworking planworking proposition
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: gadget, action, ad hoc measure, agent, anagnorisis.
- Sentence evidence is available for contrivance, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "contrivance".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "contrivance"
Keep "contrivance" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "contrivance" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "contrivance", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "contrivance" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
17 entriesShowing 16 of 17 words.
More specific
9 entriesCollocations
6 entriesclever contrivancecrude contrivanceingenious contrivancemechanical contrivancepolitical contrivancerhetorical contrivance
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
4 entriesSample sentences
8 total sentences available.
Knowing how ingeniously Mr. Shei had laid his plans and guarded against every imaginable emergency, he had not been altogether certain that his artful contrivance would succeed, but the scientist’s acute distress was ample proof that Mr. Shei had been outmaneuvered and that The Gray Phantom was master of the situation.
Source: tatoeba (11668726)
This Inspector, when I first knew him, was a man of fourscore years, or thereabouts, and certainly one of the most wonderful specimens of winter-green that you would be likely to discover in a lifetime’s search. With his florid cheek, his compact figure, smartly arrayed in a bright-buttoned blue coat, his brisk and vigorous step, and his hale and hearty aspect, altogether he seemed—not young, indeed—but a kind of new contrivance of Mother Nature in the shape of man, whom age and infirmity had no business to touch. His voice and laugh, which perpetually re-echoed through the Custom-House, had nothing of the tremulous quaver and cackle of an old man’s utterance; they came strutting out of his lungs, like the crow of a cock, or the blast of a clarion.
Source: tatoeba (12192485)
I mean to give something as slight and inexpensive as possible; but I have been so long out of the way of these things, that I am really quite at a loss, and must throw myself on your kindness, as I hope you will be with me, and also Mr. and Mrs. Gooch. You must arrange in such a manner as not to blush for your own contrivances.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 8 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "contrivance"?
Closest matches include gadget, action, ad hoc measure, agent, anagnorisis.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "contrivance"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.