What does contrivance mean?
Contrivance is a noun with two main faces: a concrete one and a critical one. In its everyday sense, a contrivance is a device, gadget, or makeshift apparatus — something ingeniously put together from whatever is at hand to accomplish a task. In this sense the word has a slightly old-fashioned flavor, evoking workshop ingenuity rather than sleek modern engineering. In literary criticism, however, contrivance names something less admirable: a plot element so artificial or improbable that it feels imposed on the story rather than arising naturally from it, as when a convenient coincidence rescues the hero at the last moment. The word derives ultimately from Latin roots concerning finding and preparing, arriving via Old French, and it belongs to a family that includes the verb 'contrive' and the adjective 'contrived.' Whether praising a clever mechanism or faulting a strained narrative, contrivance always centers on human ingenuity — and on whether that ingenuity persuades or merely manipulates.
nounA contrivance is a device, gadget, or mechanical apparatus that has been devised or made, often in an ingenious or makeshift way. It can also refer to the act or skill of devising something cleverly, or to a plot element regarded as artificial and implausible.
- A device, gadget, or piece of apparatus made or adapted for a particular purpose, especially one that seems ingenious or makeshift.
- The act or faculty of devising, planning, or scheming; ingenuity in bringing something about.
- In literary criticism, an artificial or implausible plot element introduced to make a story's events work out.
"The old clock was a curious contrivance of gears, springs, and wire."
"He rigged up a contrivance of pulleys and rope to hoist supplies into the treehouse."
"Critics complained that the happy ending rested on sheer contrivance rather than character."
The plural is standard and regular, typically used when referring to multiple devices or several instances of plot manipulation.
"The museum displayed a collection of Victorian contrivances for opening windows automatically."
The word 'contrivance' comes from the same root as 'trouvaille' — both trace back to the idea of finding or devising something — but while one celebrates invention, in fiction criticism 'contrivance' became the very word we use to accuse a story of cheating.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of contrivance
Contrivance entered English in the early seventeenth century, derived from the verb 'to contrive,' which came through Old French from Medieval Latin contropare ('to compare or invent'), itself likely influenced by the Latin trope, meaning a turn or figure. The underlying idea — devising or working out something by skill — also connects the word to the notion of finding or inventing. Its cognates include 'contrive,' 'contriver,' and 'contrived,' all built on the same stem.
Related word forms
How contrivance is actually used
Contrivance is a somewhat formal or literary word. When applied to physical objects it can sound quaint or old-fashioned, suggesting a homemade or Rube Goldberg-style mechanism. When used about plots, it carries a distinctly negative connotation, implying the writer has forced events rather than earning them. The plural 'contrivances' appears chiefly when discussing multiple devices.
Easily confused with contrivance
Contrive is a verb meaning to devise or plan something cleverly, while contrivance is a noun naming either the thing devised or the act of devising it.
Convenience means fitness or ease for a purpose, whereas contrivance refers to the device itself or the ingenuity behind it.