Devise
What it means
Create a useful idea, method, or plan through deliberate thought.
Reach for it when crediting practical invention aimed at solving a specific problem
The librarians devised a quiet signal for children who needed help.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
-
everyday
Fits when genuine novelty is the important achievement
Careful Invent can overstate a clever adaptation of methods that already exist.
-
everyday
Fits when arranging future steps matters more than novelty
Careful A routine plan may be followed rather than devised.
-
professional
design
Fits when requirements and structure shape the solution
Careful Design includes visual and technical development beyond the initial act of devising.
-
professional
engineer
Fits when constraints are deliberately managed to produce a robust result
Careful Engineer implies technical expertise and can sound manipulative in social situations.
-
formal
formulate
Fits when principles, policy, or a precise statement are assembled
Careful The analytical tone is unnatural for a simple hands-on workaround.
-
literary
conceive
Fits when the original idea forming in the mind is emphasized
Careful An idea may be conceived without ever becoming a workable plan.
Opposites 3
- copy
- abandon
- improvise
Common phrases 3
-
devise a solution
Students helped devise a solution for collecting rain from the shed roof.
-
devise a method
The conservator had to devise a method that would not wet the paper.
-
devise a plan
Neighbors met to devise a plan for sharing the new garden plots.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Neskaya, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated