ingenious

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ge·​nious in-ˈjēn-yəs 

1

: having or showing an unusual aptitude for discovering, inventing, or contriving

an ingenious detective

2

: marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness in conception or execution

an ingenious contraption

3

obsolete : showing or calling for intelligence, aptitude, or discernment

ingeniously adverb

ingeniousness noun

ingeniousness

2 of 2

noun

in·​ge·​nious·​ness

: ingenuity

The ingeniousness of this character is that you laugh at him, but you do not despise him.

—Christopher Andreae, Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 1993

Their ingeniousness allows them to haul in more money from investors than Wall Street could raise with an army of its finest salesmen.

—David Henry, Business Week, 23 Oct. 2006

Synonyms of ingenious

Adjective

• inventive
• innovative
• creative
• imaginative
• innovational
• talented

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of ingenious in a Sentence

Adjective

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 on the Web

Adjective

Bottura’s success in this case was, of course, largely tied to his ascendent fame and talent for finding ingenious solutions to problems, some obviously gastronomic and others less so. —Literary Hub, 11 June 2026

Essentially, the question for the justices is whether this new technique is ingenious, Orwellian, or both? —Nina Totenberg, NPR, 9 June 2026

Others impressed by their ingenious use to narrate effect of a Mallorcan setting. —John Hopewell, Variety, 1 June 2026

Turning sadness, depression and defeat into group activities to be enjoyed together has been an ingenious masterstroke of programming. —Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English ingenyous, from Middle French ingenieus, from Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium natural capacity — more at engine entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for ingenious

• arsenious
• genius
• heterogeneous

Kids Definition

ingenious

adjective

in·​ge·​nious in-ˈjēn-yəs 

: having or showing ingenuity : very clever

an ingenious plan

ingeniously adverb

ingeniousness noun

Etymology

Adjective

from early French ingenieus "calling for or showing special intelligence or cleverness," from Latin ingeniosus (same meaning), from ingenium "natural ability or desire to do something, inborn ability," from in "in" and -genium, from gignere "to father, beget" — related to engine, genius, gin entry 1