ingenious

in·ge·nious

adjective \in-ˈjēn-yəs\

: very smart or clever : having or showing ingenuity

Full Definition of INGENIOUS

1

obsolete :  showing or calling for intelligence, aptitude, or discernment

2

:  having or showing an unusual aptitude for discovering, inventing, or contriving <an ingenious detective>

3

:  marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness in conception or execution <an ingenious contraption>

— in·ge·nious·ly adverb

— in·ge·nious·ness noun

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Examples of INGENIOUS

1. The book has an ingenious plot.
2. She was ingenious at finding ways to work more quickly.
3. It was ingenious of him to arrange the schedule so precisely.
4. How many dog-size bathrobes (an ingenious device) are out there? —David Colman, Vogue, April 2001
5. … spacecraft engineers tried to come up with ways to “unstick” the antenna. Those attempts failed, but by ingenious software and mission-sequencing techniques … the Galileo mission was still able to fulfill nearly all of its scientific requirements and return a rich quantity of scientific data … —Louis Friedman et al., Encyclopedia of the Solar System, 1999
6. … an ingenious method of checking errors … —W. David Gardner, Datamation, June 1982

Origin of INGENIOUS

Middle English ingenyous, from Middle French ingenieus, from Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium natural capacity — more at engine

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to INGENIOUS

Synonyms

clever, imaginative, creative, innovational, innovative, innovatory, inventive, original, originative, Promethean

Antonyms

uncreative, unimaginative, uninventive, unoriginal

Related Words

gifted, inspired, talented; resourceful; fecund, fertile, fruitful, generative, germinal, productive, prolific

Near Antonyms

imitative, uninspired; infertile, unproductive; talentless

See Synonym Discussion at clever