Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Contrivance |
ContrivanceNoun1. A device that very useful for a particular job. 2. The faculty of contriving; inventive skill; "his skillful contrivance of answers to every problem". 3. An elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade; "his testimony was just a contrivance to throw us off the track". 4. An artificial or unnatural or obviously contrived arrangement of details or parts etc.; "the plot contained too many improbable contrivances to be believable". 5. Any improvised arrangement for temporary use. 6. The act of devising something. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "contrivance" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Mechanical Engineering | In the broadest sense, any material means designed for a particular operation; in the narrow and common sense, a means more complex than a tool, but less complex than a machine e. g. apparatus. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: ContrivanceSynonyms: appliance (n), contraption (n), convenience (n), devisal (n), dodge (n), gadget (n), gismo (n), gizmo (n), lash-up (n), stratagem (n), widget (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Plan | Contrivance, invention, expedient, receipt, nostrum, artifice, device; pipelaying; stratagem; (cunning); trick; (deception); alternative, loophole; shift; (substitute); last shift; (necessity). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Every theatrical performance is a contrivance by its very nature. (Topsy-Turvy; writing credit: Mike Leigh) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Edmund Burke | Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | Thus the natural fathers of families, by an insensible change, became the politic monarchs of them too: and as they chanced to live long, and leave able and worthy heirs, for several successions, or otherwise; so they laid the foundations of hereditary, or elective kingdoms, under several constitutions and mannors, according as chance, contrivance, or occasions happened to mould them. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Scarlet Letter | Hawthorne, Nathaniel | The very ideal of ignominy was embodied and made manifest in this contrivance of wood and iron. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | When parties in a state are violent, he offered a wonderful contrivance to reconcile them. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Contrivance" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Contrivance" is used about 55 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 55 | 45,713 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
king contrivance | 17 |
contrivance king restaurant | 12 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "contrivance"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | shpikje (concoction, fabrication, invention, mintage, patent), sajim (engineering, excogitation, invention), pjellje e mendjes. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | مخترع (contriver, fabricator, invention, inventive, inventor), وسيلة (appliance, connection, connexion, device, engine, expedience, expediency, expedient, facility, in a way, instrument, instrumentation, intermediary, makeshift, mean, measure, modality, resource, string, tactic, twist), إختراع (concoction, devise, fabrication, invention), آلة (instrument, machine). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | средство (agency, device, help, instrumentality, instrumentation, means, medium, pry, recourse, remedy, resort, resource, shift, tool, weapon), способ (device, expedient, key, knack, means, mode, modus, procedure, resource, way), хитрина (catch, craft, craftiness, deceit, dodgery, expedient, fetch, foxiness, legerdemain, shift, trickery, wheeze, wile, wiliness), механизъм (action, assembly, device, gear, machine, machinery, mechanism, motion, movement, works), прибор (appliance, device, implement, instrument, set, utensil), похват (knack, know how, procedure, process, resource, skill, touch), изобретение (invention), изобретателност (ingeniousness, ingenuity, invention). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | zařízení (alarm, apparatus, appliance, appointment, arrangement, contraption, device, equipment, facilities, facility, furnishing, gadget, installation, institution, unit), vynález (invention), mechanismus (clockwork, mechanism). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | instrument (appliance, device, instrument), indretning (accommodation, adjustment, arrangement), anordning (appliance, device, rearrangement). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | inrichting (accommodation, accoutrement, accoutrements, adjustment, apparatus, arrangement, device, equipment, institute, set). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | تمهید (Appliance, Device, Scheme), تدبیر (Contraption, Counsel, Design, Experiment, Gimmick, Machination, Plan, Rede, Scheme), اسباب (Apparatus, Apparel, Appliance, Appurtenance, Article, Contraption, Doodad, Engine, Gadget, Gear, Implement, Instrument, Layout, Paraphernalia, Rig, Tackle, Thing, Tool, Utensil), اختراع (Appliance, Artifice, Contraption, Device, Fiction, Invention). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | laite (apparatus, appliance, device, gadget). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | stratagème, invention, ingéniosité, fabrication, engin, dispositif. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Vorrichtung (apparatus, appliance, artifice, device, fixture, gadget, gear, set), Erfindung (brainchild, concoction, fabrication, fiction, figment, invention), Einrichtung (accommodation, adaptation, adjustment, aiming, appointments, arrangement, constitution, equipment, equipping, establishment, facility, fitting out, fittings, furnishing, furnishings, incorporation, installation, institution, location, organization, scheme, setting, setting up, setup). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κόλπο (gimmick, hocus pocus, knack, ploy, ruse, stunt, trick), σύστημα (order, regime, system), συσκευή (apparatus, appliance, device, tackle), μηχάνημα (device, gadget, machine), επινόηση (concoction), επινόημα (contraption, device, figment, gadget), εφευρετικότητα (ingenuity, inventiveness, resource, resourcefulness), τέχνασμα (artifice, claptrap, contraption, deception, device, expedient, maneuver, manoeuvre, quirk, ruff, ruse, sleight, subterfuge, trick, wile), διάταξη (agenda, array, configuration, ordinance, provision, set up). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | "מצא" (concoction, device, figment, gadget, invention), "תקן (apparatus, device, gadget). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | terv (adumbration, brainchild, cadre, calculation, conception, design, device, draft plan, layout, plan, plot, pretence, project, purpose, scheme, slant), találmány (invention), találékonyság (ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness, resource, resourcefulness), kiagyalás (concoction), feltalálás (finding, invention, rediscovery), eszköz (appliance, device, equipment, expedient, gadget, instrument, lever, leverage, means, resort, resource, tool, utensil). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | penemuan (detection, discovery). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | dispositivo (device, gadget), congegno (contraption, device, gadget, gear, mechanism). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 機軸 (axis, axle, plan), 機巧 (cleverness, trick), 案出 , 工面 (raising), 仕組み (arrangement, construction, plan, plot, structure), 仕組 (arrangement, construction, plan, plot, structure). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | しくみ (arrangement, construction, plan, plot, structure), き"う (armor, armour, breath control, breathing exercise, calling at aport, chi kung, cleverness, climate, contribution, drafting, eccentricities, homeward voyage or flight, horseback riding, mechanism, organization, qigong, remarkable effect, returning to port, returning to school, season, setting to work, spirit cultivation, stoma, stopping at a port, traveller's journal, trick, you), くめ" (raising), きじく (axis, axle, criterion, key, plan, standard, yardstick), あ"しゅつ. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | saase (device, machinery, resource). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Norwegian | påfunn, innretning (device, gadget). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | ontrivancecay capacidade inventiva (flam), sugestão (flam, hint, innuendo, insinuation, intimation, proposal, suggestion, whisper), invenção (coinage, device, excogitation, fabrication, fiction, figment, finding, flam, gadget, invention, mintage, origination), idéia (cogitation, conceit, concept, conception, flam, general, idea, intention, meaning, mind, notion, suggestion, theory, view), dispositivo (apparatus, device, flam, gadget), aparelho (apparatus, clearcole, device, drencher, equipment, gadget, instrument, set, tackle). (various references) combinaţie (combination, compound, intrigue, join, joinder, machinery, plan, scheme, temper), viclenie (archness, artfulness, astuteness, catch, craft, cunning, devilry, finesse, fraud, guile, ruse, shift, subtlety, vicleim, wile), plan (counsel, design, device, disposition, draft, even, idea, intention, level, map, meaning, outline, plain, plan, plane, program, programme, project, proposal, schedule, scheme, scheming, skeleton, syllabus, tabular), nãscocire (concoction, discovery, fable, fabrication, fib, figment, invention, lie, make up, tale, yarn), mecanism (action, device, engine, gear, gearing, gimmick, machine, machinery, mechanism, motion, technique, work), inventitate, dispozitiv (apparatus, appliance, device, fitment, outfit, spreader), şmecherie (art, artfulness, artifice, chouse, craft, cunning, depth, do, dodge, fetch, fiddle, sell, slyness, swindle, trickery), aparat (apparatus, appliance, device, gear, machine, mechanism, set, staff). (various references) выдумка (brain-child, fabrication, fairytale, fib, figment, make up, storytelling), затея (device, ploy, scheme, venture), изобретательность (ingeniousness, ingenuity, invention, resourcefulness). (various references) ìnnleachd (device, invention, machine). (various references) pronalazak (discovery, finding, invention), majstorija (masterpiece, sleight of hand, stunt), izum (device, invention). (various references) treta (feint, ruse, trickery, wheeze), plan (arrangement, deliberation, design, diagram, dispositions, layout, map, plan, scheme, setup), inventiva (imagination, ingenuity, invention, inventiveness, resourcefulness), estratagema (device, feint, frame up, opening gambit, plant, practice, ruse, stratagem, trick, wile), dispositivo (appliance, artifice, device, dodge, force, gadget, mechanism), artefacto mecánico. (various references) anordning (apparatus, appliance, arrangement, device, disposal, disposition, gadget, ordination). (various references) kurma (building, constitution, construction, erecting, erection, establishment, forming, foundation, hatcher, hatching, installation, installment, instalment, institution, promotion, wind, winding up), icat (innovation, invention), entrika (cabal, frame up, intrigue, machination, machinations, plot, ruse, scheme, wheeler-dealing), düzenek, buluş (brain child, brainchild, breakthrough, creation, detection, discovery, find, finding, innovation, invention, puberty). (various references) витівка (caper, device, devilment, gambade, gambado, lark, prank, sport), винахідливість (adroitness, ingenuity, initiative, invention, inventiveness, nimbleness, resourcefulness), винахід (artifice, invention, notion). (various references) cái sáng chế ra, thủ đoạn cách, sự trù liệu, sự b y đặt, sáng kiến, phương pháp (line, method, road, way). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Greek | 700 BCE-300 CE | manganon. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | machinationes. (various references) |
| Middle English | 1100-1500 | gin. (various references) |
| Middle French | 1400-1600 | machine. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "contrivance": contrivances. (additional references) | |
| |
"Contrivance" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: contredanse, contrinance, contriuance, contrivence. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "contrivance" (pronounced kuntrī"vuns) |
| 5 | -ī" v u n s | connivance. |
| 4 | -v u n s | grievance, irrelevance, observance, province, relevance. |
| 3 | -u n s | abeyance, abhorrence, absence, abstinence, abundance, acceptance, accordance, acquaintance, acquiescence, adherence, admirations, admittance, adolescence, affluence, allegiance, alliance, allowance, ambiance, ambience, ambivalence, ambulance, annoyance, appearance, appliance, arrogance, ascendance, assistance, assurance, attendance, audience, avoidance, balance, belligerence, beneficence, benevolence, bioscience, brilliance, cadence, capacitance, chrominance, circumference, clairvoyance, Clarence, clearance, coexistence, cognizance, coherence, coincidence, coinsurance, comeuppance, competence, compliance, concurrence, condolence, conference, confidence, confluence, conformance, congruence, conscience, consequence, consistence, continuance, convalescence, convenience, convergence, conveyance, correspondence, countenance, counterbalance, counterintelligence, credence, dalliance, decadence, Defeasance, deference, defiance, deliverance, dependence, deterrence, deviance, difference, diligence, disallowance, disappearance, discontinuance, disobedience, dissidence, dissonance, distance, disturbance, divergence, dominance, ebullience, elegance, eloquence, emergence, eminence, endurance, entrance, equivalence, essence, evanescence, evidence, excellence, existence, expedience, experience, extravagance, exuberance, flamboyance, Florence, forbearance, fragrance, furtherance, governance, guidance, hindrance, ignorance, imbalance, immanence, imminence, impatience, impedance, importance, impotence, imprudence, inadvertence, incidence, incoherence, incompetence, incontinence, inconvenience, independence, indifference, inductance, indulgence, inexperience, inference, influence, inheritance, innocence, insignificance, insistence, insolence, instance, insurance, intelligence, interdependence, interference, intolerance, intransigence, invariance, irreverence, issuance, jurisprudence, licence, license, luminance, luminescence, maintenance, malfeasance, negligence, neuroscience, noncompliance, noninterference, nonviolence, nuisance, obedience, obsolescence, occurrence, omnipotence, omnipresence, opulence, ordinance, Ordnance, overabundance, overconfidence, overdependence, overreliance, parlance, patience, penance, performance, permanence, persecutions, perseverance, persistence, pestilence, petulance, phosphorescence, pittance, precedence, predominance, preeminence, preference, preponderance, prescience, presence, prevalence, prominence, protuberance, provenance, Providence, prudence, pseudoscience, quintessence, radiance, reappearance, reassurance, recalcitrance, recognizance, reconnaissance, recurrence, reemergence, reference, reinspections, reinsurance, reliance, reluctance, remembrance, reminiscence, remittance, repentance, resemblance, residence, resilience, resistance, resonance, resurgence, reticence, reverence, riddance, science, semblance, senescence, sentence, sequence, severance, significance, silence, submergence, subservience, subsidence, subsistence, substance, surveillance, sustenance, teleconference, temperance, tolerance, transcendence, transference, transience, turbulence, unbalance, utterance, Valence, variance, vehemence, vengeance, videoconference, vigilance, violence, virulence. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-c-e-i-n-n-o-r-t-v" | |
-1 letter: concertina. | |
-2 letters: accretion, anorectic, container, convincer, crenation, nervation, reconvict, vernation. | |
-3 letters: accentor, acentric, acetonic, anointer, anoretic, cavicorn, coactive, cocinera, coinvent, conative, concerti, conniver, contrive, convince, covenant, cratonic, creation, innovate, inventor, invocate, narcotic, navicert, necrotic, reaction, reanoint, venation, veronica. | |
-4 letters: aconite, acronic, acrotic, actinon, ancient, cannier, canonic, carotin, centavo, centric, ceratin, cerotic, certain, cocaine, coenact. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-c-e-i-n-n-o-r-t-v" | |
+1 letter: contrivances. | |
+2 letters: concentrative, revaccination. | |
+3 letters: revaccinations. | |
+5 letters: overaccentuating. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Quotations: Familiar 7. Quotations: Historic 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions: Internet 11. Translations: Modern 12. Translations: Ancient | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
