contraptions

Jury-rigged inventions

Contraptions are mechanical devices, usually makeshift, improvised, or unnecessarily complicated.

The word carries a slightly dismissive tone—suggesting something cobbled together or overly elaborate for its purpose: What's this contraption supposed to do?

He built some contraption out of spare parts to open the gate automatically.

Often used when the speaker doesn't know or care what something is properly called.

inventive

gadgets

Small mechanical contrivances

devicesTools or mechanisms
gizmosUnspecified small devices
inventionsOriginal creations or devices

mechanisms · doohickeys · thingamajigs · widgets · apparatuses · machines · whatchamacallits · doodads · rigs · setups

mechanical

levers

Force-multiplying pivot bars

pulleysGrooved wheels for rope
gearsToothed rotating machine parts
springsCoils, sources, or leaps

cogs · wheels · cranks · hinges · belts · chains · pistons · valves · switches · knobs

whimsical

fantastical

Extravagantly unreal or imaginary

outlandishStrikingly weird or foreign-seeming
quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
wackyAmusingly eccentric

zany · absurd · fanciful · peculiar · eccentric · bizarre · comical · impractical · overcomplicated · nonsensical

functional

tools

Devices for doing work

equipmentTools for a task
appliancesPowered household equipment
implementsEnacts or instruments

instruments · utensils · aids · labor-saving · household · kitchen gadgets · workshop · farming equipment · practical · utilitarian

contraptions

gadgets

levers

fantastical

tools

contraptions

Opposites

Categories

Family