How to Use contrived in a Sentence

contrived

adjective
  • The results of the test seemed somewhat contrived.
  • The movie's contrived ending was a big disappointment.
  • This may feel like the contrived start of a zany meet-the-parents mix-up.
    — Ron Charles, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2020
  • The problem is more with a process that is at best contrived and at worst tortured.
    — Harvey Araton, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2019
  • Rather than anything too contrived, her cheeks always look fresh, flushed and healthy.
    — Elle Turner, Glamour, 16 Apr. 2021
  • Her recent fiction can seem more contrived.
    — Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025
  • Her recent fiction can seem more contrived.
    — Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Purpose can feel fixed, distant or contrived.
    — Jill D. Griffin, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • The filming style makes all acting look bad and all action look contrived.
    — Kyle Smith, National Review, 8 Oct. 2019
  • The look manages to be on trend without being too contrived.
    — Selene Oliva, Glamour, 12 June 2026
  • Plot-wise, the movie tends toward the contrived and cartoonish.
    — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Aug. 2020
  • The storylines can seem to be a bit contrived but not completely out of place.
    — Mary Cadden, USA TODAY, 14 May 2018
  • But somehow the show manages to feel too contrived and too thinly conceived at the same time.
    — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2021
  • This is how contrived - or overblown - controversies are born.
    — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, 14 Nov. 2018
  • Use a curling iron or hot rollers for more rounded ends with a bend or a flat iron for a less-contrived style with a bit of edge.
    — Elise Tabin, InStyle, 14 Jan. 2026
  • My experience has been that stories like that are quite contrived.
    — Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Nov. 2017
  • But some of Herman’s repertoire, frankly, can seem a bit contrived and boorish.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2017
  • Just don’t scratch even the slightest bit beneath its glossy, super-contrived surface.
    — Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2022
  • The first episode had too many exposition dumps, too many teen cliches and too much contrived drama.
    — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 9 Oct. 2020
  • No, the comfortable would feel too obvious and the absurd would feel too contrived.
    — Mary Sollosi, EW.com, 3 Feb. 2022
  • On its website their first bit of advice is for people to ride that stretch so they can get counted — does that sound a bit contrived?
    — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Shay’s munificence is not just a contrived storyline for the screen.
    — Ashley Lee Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2021
  • The feel is more quirky than hipster, the result of decades of organic growth rather than a contrived atmosphere.
    — Larry Olmsted, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2018
  • The drama between them is no longer real and relatable, but contrived and silly.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Truth is, a contrived event will never enhance Jokic’s legacy.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
  • My daughter , my family,my self have all suffered for the contrived, malicious hate crime against me.
    — Alexia Fernandez, PEOPLE.com, 1 Nov. 2017
  • The others are just underwritten pawns in a contrived mystery.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The story takes its most contrived turn when Robert lands a part-time job at a public defender’s office.
    — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2022
  • But as a whole, recent Grammys fashion has been much more contrived, and less about disrupting the norm.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2024
  • A lot of reality shows are people who just met for the sake of the show, these contrived situations.
    — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'contrived.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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