inventive

adjective

in·​ven·​tive in-ˈven-tiv 

1

: adept or prolific at producing inventions : creative

an inventive mind

2

: characterized by invention

an inventive method

inventively adverb

inventiveness noun

Synonyms of inventive

• innovative
• imaginative
• creative
• clever

Examples of inventive in a Sentence

They have given their new company an inventive name.

inventive ways to use leftovers

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, there weren’t as many, but for us, animation is such an inventive form. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

In 2011, Joe Kay debuted Soulection as a college radio show at Cal State Long Beach, spinning rare B-sides, progressive beats, inventive flips of classic records and soulful underground tracks. — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

The food is healthy, fresh, and inventive enough to persuade you to dine in for at least a couple of nights, in spite of Ubud’s strong and growing food scene. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026

Cardtoons won because its alteration of the players’ appearances was deemed sufficiently inventive and, through parody, the cards reflected social commentary protected by the First Amendment that outweighed the players’ publicity rights claims. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for inventive

• agentive
• attentive
• incentive
• preventive
• retentive
• disincentive
• inattentive

Kids Definition

inventive

adjective

in·​ven·​tive in-ˈvent-iv 

: gifted with the skill and imagination to invent

inventively adverb

inventiveness noun