contrived

adjective
UK: /kənˈtraɪvd/
US: /kənˈtraɪvd/

  1. Clearly planned or forced; artificial; not spontaneous or natural.

    1. His excuse sounded a bit contrived to me.
    2. The plot of the movie felt contrived and unrealistic, lacking genuine emotional depth.

  2. Deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously.

    1. The ending felt contrived and unsatisfying.
    2. Her smile seemed contrived, as if she were trying too hard to appear happy.

Synonyms

unnatural strained forced affected artificial

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "contrived" in English means: Clearly planned or forced; artificial; not spontaneous or natural., Deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously..

The phonetic transcription of "contrived" is /kənˈtraɪvd/ in British English and /kənˈtraɪvd/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "contrived": unnatural, strained, forced, affected, artificial.

Example usage of "contrived": "His excuse sounded a bit contrived to me.". More examples on the page.