genius

noun ge·nius \ ˈjēn-yəs , ˈjē-nē-əs \

Definition of genius

plural geniuses or genii play \ˈjē-nē-ˌī\

1 a plural genii : an attendant spirit of a person or place

b plural usually genii : a person who influences another for good or bad

He has been accused of being his brother's evil genius.

2 : a strong leaning or inclination : penchant

3 a : a peculiar, distinctive, or identifying character or spirit

the genius of our democratic government

b : the associations and traditions of a place

c : a personification or embodiment especially of a quality or condition

4 plural usually genii : spirit, jinni

5 plural usually geniuses

a : a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude

had a genius for getting along with boys
—Mary Ross

b : extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity

c : a person endowed with extraordinary mental superiority; especially : a person with a very high IQ

See genius defined for English-language learners

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Examples of genius in a Sentence

Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were great scientific geniuses.
You don't have to be a genius to see that this plan will never work.
He was a genius at handling the press.
She's now widely recognized as an artist of genius.
He's admired for his comic genius.
My plan is simple—that's the genius of it.
The genius of these new computers is their portability.

Recent Examples of genius from the Web

Resident genius: crashB (5th this season, 3rd straight).

— dylan bumbarger, OregonLive.com, "Game thread: Portland Winterhawks at Everett Silvertips," 4 Nov. 2017
In the age of the Internet, though, her past is only a mouse click away, and her daughter is a genius at Googling.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Novelist tackles the lifespan of scandal in the Internet age," 8 Oct. 2017
As racial panic spread, a Republican political genius named Paul Weyrich—with patronage from Western segregationist beer billionaire Joseph Coors—forged alliances with Southern religious leaders.

— nina burleigh, Newsweek, "Does God Believe in Trump? White Evangelicals are Sticking with Their "Prince of Lies"," 5 Oct. 2017
Willie Taggart is a genius, Royce Freeman is perfect for the power game, and Jim Leavitt’s defense is better than expected.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Pac-12 weekend wrap (overreaction edition): UCLA’s epic rally and the perfect weekend," 5 Sep. 2017
New York Magazine described McLaren as the marketing genius behind the UFC; and Yahoo!

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "WWE alum Alberto Del Rio involved in Copa Combate MMA | Miami Herald," 27 Oct. 2017
Roni Grosz, the archivist overseeing the Einstein archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, told the Japan Times that the notes help uncover the innermost thoughts of a scholar whose public profile was synonymous with scientific genius.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Einstein's theory of happiness sold for $1.5 million. Read it for free here.," 25 Oct. 2017
Kershaw’s true genius is for sussing out and executing what is needed.

— robert o'connell, The Atlantic, "World Series Hopes Ride on a Pair of Aces," 24 Oct. 2017
From tips for making your bras last longer and keeping your straps in place to tricks for converting a regular bra into a strapless or racerback style in a pinch, check out these genius hacks for solving all your biggest bra struggles. 1.

— elizabeth denton, Seventeen, "10 Life-Changing Bra Hacks Every Girl Should Know," 16 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genius.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Spiritual Origins of genius

The belief system of the ancient Romans included spirits that were somewhere in between gods and humans and were thought to accompany each person through life as a protector. The Latin name for this spirit was genius, which came from the verb gignere, meaning "to beget." This sense of "attendant spirit" was first borrowed into English in the 14th century. Part of such a spirit's role was to protect a person's moral character, and from that idea an extended sense developed in the 16th century meaning "an identifying character." In time, that meaning was extended to cover a special ability for doing something, and eventually genius acquired senses referring particularly to "very great intelligence" and "people of great intelligence."

Origin and Etymology of genius

Latin, tutelary spirit, natural inclinations, from gignere to beget

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

genius Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of genius

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something. gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

- the gift of singing beautifully

faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

- a faculty for remembering names

aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

- a mechanical aptitude

bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

- a family with an artistic bent

talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

- has enough talent to succeed

genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

- has no great genius for poetry

knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

- the knack of getting along

GENIUS Defined for English Language Learners

genius

noun

Definition of genius for English Language Learners

: a very smart or talented person : a person who has a level of talent or intelligence that is very rare or remarkable
: a person who is very good at doing something
: great natural ability : remarkable talent or intelligence