excogitate vs contrive

excogitate and contrive both are verbs.

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

As verbs, excogitate and contrive are synonyms defined as:

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

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

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