Reverse Dictionary: CONTRIVE

ADJECTIVES
1200 ► contrived, intended, purposed; said of a thing → BETHOUGHT → obs.
1940 ► specially contrived; expedient and dishonest → COOKED-UP → Amer. sl.

ADVERBS
1400 ► contriving, striving, trying, tending towards; later being about to, going → ABOUTWARD → obs.

NOUNS
1330 ► a contriving, planning, devising; the arrangement of plans; a device, contrivance, plan → ORDINANCE → obs.
1340 ► a contrivance, device, artifice, trick → CAST → obs.
1470 ► contrivance, subtlety → IMAGINEMENT → obs. rare
1549 ► a contriving or planning; contrivance, intrigue, plotting; an intrigue, plot, scheme → MACHINATION 
1589 ► a contriving, devising, or constructing → HAMMERING → obs.
1670 ► a contrivance; an invention; something fashioned or made → FANGLEMENT 
1804 ► a contrivance; an invention; a fabrication; an original composition → UP-MAKE → Sc.
1882 ► a contrivance, a plan; an experiment; a fad; a crotchet → MAXIM → Eng. dial.
1885 ► a contrivance; a badly-made tool, implement, etc. → GALLITRAP → Eng. dial.
1936 ► something contrived or prearranged → PUT-UP → colloq.

NOUNS, PERSON
1611 ► a contriver, intriguer, plotter, schemer; usually in a bad sense → MACHINATOR 
1790 ► a contriver, a planner, a schemer → MODELLER → (Bk.)
1900 ► a contriver, a manager → ETTLER → Eng. dial. (Bk.)

VERBS
1225 ► to contrive, to devise, to plan, to arrange → BETHINK → obs.
1297 ► to contrive, to invent → BEFIND → obs.
1300 ► to contrive, to prepare, to get ready; to devise → TIGHT → obs.
1325 ► to contrive, to machinate, to devise, to scheme → CAST → obs.
1340 ► to contrive, to plan, to devise → ORDAIN → obs.
1450 ► to contrive, to plot; to devise schemes (against a person) → MACHINE → obs.
1540 ► to contrive, to manage → FASHION → obs.
1600 ► to contrive, to plot, to plan; to lay plots; to intrigue; to scheme → MACHINATE 
1618 ► to contrive, to plan, to take measures to do something; to look out or make a search for → LAY ABOUT → obs.
1627 ► to contrive, to arrange → LAY → obs.
1655 ► to contrive, to concoct, often dishonestly → COOK UP → colloq.
1753 ► to contrive → CONTUNE → (Bk.)
1781 ► to contrive or plot together → PATTISH → Eng. dial. obs.
1843 ► to contrive to the greatest advantage, to arrange for; to deal out in small quantities, to use sparingly and stingily → ETTLE → Eng. dial.
1879 ► to contrive, to arrange, to manage → SCHEME → Eng. dial.
1888 ► to contrive, to scheme, to lay plans → TRIGGER → Amer. dial.
1899 ► to contrive fraudulently → FRAME UP → US sl.
1905 ► to contrive, to manage; to fit, to make even → ODDS → Eng. dial. (Bk.)
1914 ► to contrive, to arrange, shape, put together properly; to fit or adapt one thing to another → VAND → Sc.