ingenious

adjective in·ge·nious \ in-ˈjēn-yəs \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: ingenious in a Sentence

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

adverb

—

ingeniousness

noun

See ingenious defined for English-language learners

See ingenious defined for kids

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

The materials can be ingenious—in one scene a cobra covered in gorgeous green beads slithers by, and during one bucolic stroll, stalks of wheat in soft focus intervene between us and the characters.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Animator Jiří Trnka created magical worlds amid stifling communist censorship," 31 May 2018
There's something involving Daedalus, the classical myth about a guy who becomes so engrossed by his own ingenious creations that everyone around him suffers.

— sean o'neal, GQ, "The Tortured Mind Of Dan Harmon," 30 May 2018
Among a younger generation, some of whom were born well after the Dapper Dan heyday, Mr. Day’s ingenious knock-ups came to be considered an art form in their own right.

— jacob gallagher, WSJ, "Dapper Dan Used to Knock Off Gucci. Now, He’s Collaborating With Them," 14 May 2018
Yet for all the widespread familiarity of what Dr. Hall wrought as a remarkably ingenious physicist, his death, at 96, on Nov. 7, 2016, gained little notice.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Robert Hall, his inventions ubiquitous, his death largely unnoticed, dies at 96," 11 May 2018
Yet for all the widespread familiarity of what Dr. Hall wrought as a remarkably ingenious physicist, his death, at 96, on Nov. 7, 2016, gained little notice.

— New York Times, "Robert N. Hall, 96, Whose Inventions Are Everywhere, Is Dead," 10 May 2018
Even more ingenious is how the menu mirrors thehotel’s storied past.

— zachary schwartz, Vogue, "Where to Experience Ireland’s Culinary Renaissance," 15 Jan. 2018
There's a long history of custom controllers designed to make gaming more accessible from ingenious, hacked together solutions to hands-free controllers for the NES.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Microsoft's New Customizable Xbox Controller Helps Make Video Games Way More Accessible," 17 May 2018
But the cast is committed and at times ingenious, especially the women.

— trevor fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Review: S#IT: Unauthorized Musical Parody of Stephen King's It - Fringe 2018," 14 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of ingenious

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

ingenious Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of ingenious

clever, adroit, cunning, ingenious mean having or showing practical wit or skill in contriving. clever stresses physical or mental quickness, deftness, or great aptitude.