innovation

noun

in·​no·​va·​tion ˌi-nə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: a new idea, method, or device : novelty

She is responsible for many innovations in her field.

the latest technological innovations

What was once a wacky innovation has become a fact of getting around.

—Justin Davidson

2

: the introduction of something new

Through technology and innovation, they found ways to get better results with less work.

Live music is nice, but there's a lot of innovation that can happen in the music video.

—Grimes, quoted in Rolling Stone

innovational

ˌi-nə-ˈvā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of innovation

• invention
• creation

Examples of innovation in a Sentence

She is responsible for many innovations in her field.

the latest innovation in computer technology

Through technology and innovation, they found ways to get better results with less work.

the rapid pace of technological innovation

Recent Examples on the Web

As research advances and deployments grow through 2026 and beyond, dynamic on-the-move EV charging is becoming an increasingly plausible part of the future transport landscape—advancing one corridor, one region, and one innovation at a time. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025

With 2025 serving as ‘Ôrebella’s first year of major retail expansion, the focus for 2026 will be product innovation. —Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025

Investor Day is an event where a company’s top executives provides investors with in-depth information on strategy, growth and innovation. —Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025

The headline innovation is the inaugural European Film Exhibition Conference, organized with Spain’s exhibitors’ federation FECE, delivering four blocks of discussions that will feed into a public report on policy, funding levers and audience evolution. —Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for innovation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

innovation

noun

in·​no·​va·​tion ˌin-ə-ˈvā-shən 

1

: the introduction of something new

2

: a new idea, method, or device