innovation
noun
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What is the difference between innovation and invention?
The words innovation and invention overlap semantically but are really quite distinct.
Invention can refer to a type of musical composition, a falsehood, a discovery, or any product of the imagination. The sense of invention most likely to be confused with innovation is “a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment,” usually something which has not previously been in existence.
Innovation, for its part, can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. One might say that the first telephone was an invention, the first cellular telephone either an invention or an innovation, and the first smartphone an innovation.
Examples of innovation in a Sentence
François Candelon, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
The innovation is claimed to have the potential to change not only high-speed sports, but also industries like aerospace, maritime, and civil engineering.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2025
The innovation, detailed in a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, could help aviation meet its target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Sustainability was a running theme in many of the night’s biggest speeches, with honorees Brandon Sorbom and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson highlighting innovations in clean energy and the urgent need for climate action.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for innovation
Cite this Entry
“Innovation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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innovation
noun
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