ingenious

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adjective in·ge·nious \in-ˈjēn-yəs\

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

Meanwhile, little critters like the ingenious Civic were waiting in the wings, ready to take over from the big-bodied Yankee dinosaurs.

— davey g. johnson, Car and Driver, "The Spirit of ’76: The Plucky Thrift of the Honda Civic", 3 July 2017
On a side note, Antheil’s ingenious way with mechanical objects got him inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

— patrick neas, kansascity, "Four new classical CDs, including one by KC Symphony, worth a listen", 1 July 2017
The battery of percussion was there for a performance of Viktor Derivianko's ingenious arrangement of Shostakovich's Symphony No.

— special to the plain dealer, cleveland.com, "ChamberFest Cleveland leaves deep impression with Shostakovich in rare transcription (review)", 30 June 2017
Blockchain is the ingenious system of simultaneously updating electronic ledgers, developed for the pioneering bitcoin electronic currency, so users can verify transactions reliably and fast.

— joseph n. distefano, Philly.com, "Blockchain: Initial coin offerings pull in millions, but at what cost?", 27 June 2017
Even his ingenious business council meetings are less a thing, and health care reform and other projects seem to be wandering around with no sense of direction.

— jay ambrose, Twin Cities, "Jay Ambrose: Trump needs an intervention", 11 June 2017
The Hanoi Hilton (1987) Heartbreakers (2001) Ingenious (2009)

— sean axmaker, The Seattle Times, "Coming to Amazon Prime in June: ‘The Salesman,’ ‘20th Century Women,’ ‘Star Trek Beyond’", 30 May 2017
Nail lacquer, which floats on water, is an ingenious medium for marbleizing ceramics.

— martha stewart, star-telegram, "Add a personal touch to decor, gifts, and a little something for yourself", 30 May 2017
At least there was Beats Per Minute, and Okja, and The Florida Project, and the ingenious best-director winner The Beguiled, and 120 or so brilliant minutes of The Square’s 142.

— richard lawson, HWD, "There’s No Escaping the Brutal World, Even at Cannes", 29 May 2017

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

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. a person clever with horses adroit often implies a skillful use of expedients to achieve one's purpose in spite of difficulties. an adroit negotiator cunning implies great skill in constructing or creating. a filmmaker cunning in his use of special effects ingenious suggests the power of inventing or discovering a new way of accomplishing something. an ingenious software engineer