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
ingeniously
adverbingeniousness
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Examples of ingenious in a Sentence
How many dog-size bathrobes (an ingenious device) are out there? —David Colman, Vogue, April 2001
… 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
… an ingenious method of checking errors … —W. David Gardner, Datamation, June 1982
The book has an ingenious plot.
She was ingenious at finding ways to work more quickly.
It was ingenious of him to arrange the schedule so precisely.
Recent Examples of ingenious from the Web
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A cat walking through the world looks mighty different to various other creatures, such as a fox and a goldfish, as this delightful, ingenious book shows.
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In creating it, Misha Green and Joe Pokaski made a simple but in retrospect ingenious decision.
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Analysts noted that previous sanctions were hampered because of a lack of vigorous enforcement by member states and the North’s ingenious ways of circumventing them.
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Kudos to Lowry for an ingenious idea, executed well.)
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But a 1980s renovation had resulted in some ingenious interventions on the classic nineteenth-century floor plan, with double-height spaces and added windows bringing light into its darker corners.
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Drama Queen was particularly ingenious at pitting kids against each other in contests of her own creation.
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Also part of the Fielding's package are carefully selected ingredients and ingenious condiments that make the various burger combinations spring to life.
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This ingenious approach was readopted this year by Gucci's new creative director, Frida Giannini, who created a special eighty-fifth anniversary collection of limited-edition bags.
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Origin and Etymology of ingenious
Middle English ingenyous, from Middle French ingenieus, from Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium natural capacity — more at engine
First Known Use: 15th century
Synonym Discussion of ingenious
INGENIOUS Defined for English Language Learners
ingenious
playDefinition of ingenious for English Language Learners
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: very smart or clever : having or showing ingenuity
INGENIOUS Defined for Kids
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ingenious Spanish Central: Translation of ingenious Nglish: Translation of ingenious for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ingenious for Arabic speakers
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