Definition of Contrived unnatural or fabricated Examples of Contrived in a sentence During the family photo, the unhappy teenage girl wore a contrived smile on her face. If you look at the picture of the dog and cat dancing, you can easily tell a Photoshop user created the contrived image.

The prisoners contrived a way to escape. He contrived a meeting with the president. There were so many things that contrived to guide us to this format. The setup feels forced, even contrived, at this late date.

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. Yet a room too sparse or styled can seem cold or contrived.