ingenuity

noun

in·​ge·​nu·​i·​ty ˌin-jə-ˈnü-ə-tē 

-ˈnyü-

plural ingenuities

1

a

: skill or cleverness in devising or combining : inventiveness

b

: cleverness or aptness of design or contrivance

2

: an ingenious device or contrivance

3

obsolete : candor, ingenuousness

Synonyms

• creativity
• creativeness
• imagination
• talent
• innovativeness
• inventiveness
• imaginativeness

Examples of ingenuity in a Sentence

She showed amazing ingenuity in finding ways to cut costs.

It will take considerable ingenuity to fix these problems.

Recent Examples on the Web

While wallpaper remains a constant, our technological ingenuity and uses for it are continuously evolving. —Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 July 2025

Sarah’s sense of ingenuity and self-reliance was hard won. —Jessica Pishko, New Yorker, 15 July 2025

Algorithmic ingenuity, hardware scale-up, hybrid creativity and software industrialization reinforce one another, chipping months or years off earlier forecasts. —Yuval Boger, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

With persistence, investigative ingenuity, and cutting-edge genetic tools, the grandmothers have so far tracked down 140 of those missing children. —Julia M. Klein, The Atlantic, 11 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Rhymes for ingenuity

• ambiguity
• contiguity
• continuity
• incongruity
• perpetuity
• perspicuity
• promiscuity
• superfluity
• acuity
• annuity
• circuity
• congruity

Kids Definition

ingenuity

noun

in·​ge·​nu·​ity

ˌin-jə-ˈn(y)ü-ət-ē

plural ingenuities

1

: skill or cleverness in discovering, inventing, or planning

2

: an ingenious device