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genius

noun
ge·​nius | \ ˈjēn-yəs How to pronounce genius (audio) , ˈjē-nē-əs\
plural geniuses or genii\ ˈjē-​nē-​ˌī How to pronounce genii (audio) \

Definition of genius

1a 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
3a : 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
Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Spiritual Origins of Genius More Example Sentences Learn More about genius

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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."

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The Nightmare Before Christmas is a perfect blend of creative genius, when the Pumpkin King (aka Jack Skellington) grows tired of Halloween Town and tries to bring Christmas to the ghoulish world. — Marilyn La Jeunesse, Teen Vogue, "The Best Christmas Movies to Watch According to Your Zodiac Sign," 26 Nov. 2018 But Boygenius might be even more of a subversion of genius than gender. — Bridget Read, Vogue, "A Brief Oral History of Boygenius," 31 Oct. 2018 The genius of Ex Machina was to see the way those two things are connected—and how the latter is, in fact, leading to the former. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "How 'Ex Machina' Foresaw the Weaponization of Data," 16 Jan. 2019 Yep, apparently this genius is a youth football coach who loves Georgia Bulldogs football. — Stefan Stevenson, star-telegram, "The best viral high school baseball video brings out worst in Internet," 12 June 2018 Just about every footballer, and every footballer's agent, and every footballer's second cousin twice removed, has been asked to decide between the Argentine genius and his mesmerising Portuguese rival. — SI.com, "England Striker Marcus Rashford Weighs in on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Debate," 8 June 2018 Chopra tagged her makeup artist Pati Dubroff and hairstylist Ted Gibson as the geniuses behind the look. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Is Priyanka Chopra Channeling Sophie Turner in Her Latest Makeup Look?," 30 Jan. 2019 Artkive is a genius way to keep all of your kid's special art projects, without having them in a mountain of construction paper on your kitchen counter. — Maya Mcdowell, House Beautiful, "Artkive Is The Most Adorable Solution For Saving All Of Your Kid’s Art Without The Clutter," 25 Jan. 2019 There's a genius way to find out if the snow is fake or not. — Mackenzie Dunn, Woman's Day, "'Winter Love Story' Actress Jen Lilley Reveals 6 Hallmark Movie Secrets," 18 Jan. 2019

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.

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First Known Use of genius

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for genius

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

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11 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for genius

The first known use of genius was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for genius

genius

noun
How to pronounce genius (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of genius

: 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

See the full definition for genius in the English Language Learners Dictionary

genius

noun
ge·​nius | \ ˈjēn-yəs How to pronounce genius (audio) \

Kids Definition of genius

1 : a very smart or gifted person
2 : great natural ability He has artistic genius.
3 : a very clever or smart quality The lads came … chattering all the time about Tom's stupendous plan and admiring the genius of it.— Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer

genius

noun
ge·​nius | \ ˈjē-nyəs, -nē-əs How to pronounce genius (audio) \
plural geniuses or genii\ -​nē-​ˌī How to pronounce genii (audio) \

Medical Definition of genius

1 : extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity
2 : a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority specifically : a person with a very high IQ

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More from Merriam-Webster on genius

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for genius

Spanish Central: Translation of genius

Nglish: Translation of genius for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of genius for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about genius

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