contraption

[ kuhn-trap-shuhn ]

noun

1. a mechanical contrivance; gadget; device.

contraption

/ kənˈtræpʃən /

noun

1. informal.
   a device or contrivance, esp one considered strange, unnecessarily intricate, or improvised

Other Words From

• con·trap·tious adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contraption¹

First recorded in 1815–25; perhaps contr(ivance) + (ad)aption, variant of adaptation

Word History and Origins

Origin of contraption¹

C19: perhaps from con ( trivance ) + trap ¹+ ( inven ) tion

Example Sentences

Last year's Tears of the Kingdom, for example, allowed players to build strange contraptions and led to memorable creations such as a giant robotic Godzilla.

From BBC

The team retrieved it using a contraption made from a rope and a broom handle.

From BBC

In an era of smartphones, fitness tracking watches and always-listening speakers, there’s no shortage of contraptions to wake us up via an assortment of sounds.

From Los Angeles Times

No matter the size of the heel or the shape – they tend to be a contraption created to cause the people who wear them pain.

From Salon

There will be heat but, unlike in Paris, we actually have that strange new contraption called air conditioning.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appliance
• contrivance
• gadget
• gizmo
• rig