contrivance
gb/kəntɹˈaɪvəns/ us/kəntɹˈaɪvəns/
C1
Kiingereza
~ 9200
Maana
maana 0
Nomino
C1
entity
1
clever device or gadget
A machine or tool that someone has made, usually in a clever or special way, to do a particular job.
Muundo wa matumizi:
a contrivance for [verb+ing] [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse "contrivance" with "convenience" because they look similar. A contrivance is the device or tool itself, while convenience is the state of being easy or comfortable.
Visawe
device (Most general and common; does not suggest being especially clever or unusual unless modified.)
|
gadget (Often smaller and more informal, sometimes with a slightly playful tone.)
Vinyume
natural object (Contrasts a man-made, designed device with something that occurs naturally.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
clever contrivance
|mechanical contrivance
|ingenious contrivance
|a little contrivance
|a contrivance for opening [something]
|complex contrivance
Mada
technology
|daily_life
|science
Mifano
- The kitchen is full of modern contrivances to make cooking easier.
- He showed me a simple contrivance for lifting water from the well.
- The lock is opened by a curious contrivance hidden inside the door.
- This folding bed is a neat contrivance that saves a lot of space.
- Early cameras were heavy contrivances that had to be carried on a tripod.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- She built a small contrivance to water the plants.
- This contrivance lets you open the window from your bed.
- The old man made a wooden contrivance to fix his broken chair.
- My brother loves making strange contrivances in the garage.
- The shop sells many kitchen contrivances for home cooks.
Nomino
formal
C1
entity
2
clever, often artificial plan
A special plan or way of doing something, made with a lot of thought, sometimes in a fake or not completely honest way.
Muundo wa matumizi:
a contrivance to [verb] [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may use "contrivance" when they only mean a normal plan. "Contrivance" usually suggests something unusually clever, artificial, or possibly dishonest, not just any plan or idea.
Visawe
scheme (Often suggests secret or dishonest planning more strongly than "contrivance".)
|
device (In formal writing, can also mean a planned method; slightly broader and more neutral in tone.)
|
artifice (Stresses trickery and deception more than careful arrangement.)
Vinyume
straightforwardness (Lack of hidden planning or artificial methods; everything is open and simple.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
legal contrivance
|ingenious contrivance
|political contrivance
|through some contrivance
|an obvious contrivance
|a contrivance to avoid [something]
Mada
politics
|law
|communication
|daily_life
|work
Mifano
- The tax break is a legal contrivance that mainly benefits large corporations.
- By some clever contrivance, he managed to delay the vote for another year.
- The committee saw the proposal as a political contrivance to gain more power.
- Her apology felt like a contrivance to avoid taking real responsibility.
- The new rule is a contrivance to keep smaller competitors out of the market.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The offer was just a contrivance to get more money from customers.
- They used a legal contrivance to pay less tax.
- His story seemed like a contrivance, not the truth.
- The plan was a clever contrivance to win the game.
- This rule is a contrivance to stop new people from joining.
Nomino
formal
C1
entity
3
artificial device in a story
A part of a story or argument that feels made up only to make something happen, not because it is natural or real.
Muundo wa matumizi:
a [adjective] contrivance in the plot
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes think "contrivance" in this sense is positive, meaning simply "clever." While it can be neutral, it often suggests that something feels fake or is too neatly arranged.
Visawe
plot device (Neutral term for anything used to move a plot forward; does not itself suggest being forced or unbelievable.)
|
gimmick (More informal and critical, suggesting a cheap or showy trick.)
Vinyume
organic development (Describes a story element that grows naturally from characters and events, not something obviously forced.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
narrative contrivance
|plot contrivance
|dramatic contrivance
|clumsy contrivance
|an obvious contrivance
|mere contrivance
Mada
literature
|media
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Mifano
- The long-lost twin is such a tired contrivance in soap operas.
- Critics attacked the ending as a clumsy contrivance designed to please the audience.
- Her illness felt like a narrative contrivance rather than a believable event.
- The flashback sequence is a clever contrivance to explain his motivations.
- The coincidence that brings all the characters together is a clear contrivance.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The happy ending felt like a contrivance.
- The surprise meeting in the movie was an obvious contrivance.
- That part of the story is just a contrivance to make us cry.
- The writer used a contrivance to bring the two lovers back together.
- Many viewers thought the death scene was a plot contrivance.
Nomino
formal
C2
property
4
ingenuity or skill in planning
The skill of thinking in a clever way to make or plan something.
Kosa la kawaida:
This sense is less common, and learners may overuse it instead of more natural words like "ingenuity" or "creativity". In modern English, those alternatives are usually better choices.
Visawe
ingenuity (Very close in meaning; slightly more common and often more positive.)
|
resourcefulness (Focuses more on solving practical problems with limited means.)
Vinyume
incompetence (Lack of the skill needed to plan or invent things successfully.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
human contrivance
|with much contrivance
|by contrivance and effort
|resource and contrivance
Mada
personality
|work
|core_vocabulary
|education
Mifano
- With patience and contrivance, they turned the small room into a comfortable office.
- The project was completed more by human contrivance than by modern technology.
- Only great effort and contrivance allowed them to stay within budget.
- Through sheer contrivance he balanced work, study, and family life.
- The survivors relied on their own contrivance to find food and water.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- With much contrivance, they finished the job on time.
- They used their own contrivance to live in the small space.
- By hard work and contrivance, she passed the exam.
- Human contrivance can solve many problems.
- They survived by contrivance and courage.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
contrivance
IPA
GB/kəntɹˈaɪvəns/
US/kəntɹˈaɪvəns/
Silabi na mkazo
con - triv - ance (silabi 3)
Stress on 2nd syllable (triv)
Maumbo ya neno
Noun
- Base: contrivance
- Plural: contrivance, contrivances
Familia ya neno
Forms
contrivances
noun
Core family
contrive
verb C1
contrived
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
uncontrived
adjective
Advanced or less common
contriver
noun
Semi
Bado hakuna semi zilizounganishwa na ingizo hili.