SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
contrived
adjective
Artificial or forced rather than natural.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Artificially forced
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topManufactured can be literal and neutral; contrived criticizes obvious manipulation or lack of naturalness.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See contrived in use
The ending felt contrived because it solved every conflict at once.
One proposed sequence felt contrived: an actor would pretend to discover a ticket while delivering a speech about destiny.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license