Contrived

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɹaɪvd/

Definitions

1. Deliberately created rather than arising naturally ; seeming unnatural or forced in a way that lacks spontaneity
2. Made with careful planning or effort instead of occurring by chance ; appearing overly planned or fake in manner or style
3. Produced by design or manipulation ; coming across as awkwardly staged or insincere

Etymology: Contrive began in Middle English as "controve(n)" and "contreve(n)", meaning "to invent," and it came from Old French "controver," which was built on "trover," meaning "to find." So the English verb once described the act of discovering or devising something, and the sense of scheming came later. The word "contrived" is the past form of that verb, and in its current sense it describes something that looks deliberately arranged rather than natural. The spelling that English settled on, with an "-i-" in the middle, came from a later change in Middle English, and the reason for that shift is unclear. The Old French verb is cognate with the modern French "controuver," which keeps the same root. The "-e-" in the older English spelling matches the stressed vowel of the French form, and the word "retrieve," which comes from the same family of verbs, kept that older vowel more regularly.

Synonyms: forced, unnatural, fabricated

Antonyms: natural, spontaneous