contrive vs excogitate

contrive and excogitate both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
contrive	No	No	Yes	No
excogitate	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, contrive and excogitate are synonyms defined as:

contrive and excogitate: come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

Other synonyms of contrive include devise, forge, formulate, invent.

contrive (verb)	excogitate (verb)
come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort	reflect deeply on a subject
make or work out a plan for; devise	come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
put or send forth