inventive

adjective in·ven·tive \ in-ˈven-tiv \

Definition of inventive

1 :adept or prolific at producing inventions :creative

an inventive mind

2 :characterized by invention

an inventive method

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inventively

adverb

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inventiveness

noun

See inventive defined for English-language learners

See inventive defined for kids

Examples of inventive in a Sentence

They have given their new company an inventive name.
inventive ways to use leftovers

Recent Examples of inventive from the Web

Eckart Preu’s concert on Saturday, the last of his inaugural season as music director, continued an inventive formula that has been engagingly successful.

— janelle gelfand, Cincinnati.com, "Chamber Orchestra season finale electrifies," 27 Aug. 2017
Fantasy maps are invented, but not all that inventive.

— adrian daub, Longreads, "Here at the End of All Things," 24 Aug. 2017
Trained at Spago, Antonia Lofaso understands high-volume cooking, and her take on hearty Italian-American is respectful yet inventive.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
The food is delicious, healthy, and inventive, and an additional $8 buys you a summer beer flight.

— cole kazdin, Los Angeles Magazine, "Our 2017 dineL.A. Recommendations," 13 July 2017
The show is, indeed, inventive, especially in those early seasons.

— vanityfair.com, "Which Game of Thrones Scene Gave a Very Young Sophie Turner Her “Sex Education”?," 5 July 2017
The show is, indeed, inventive, especially in those early seasons.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Which Game of Thrones Scene Gave a Very Young Sophie Turner Her “Sex Education”?," 5 July 2017
There are lots of ways to dispose of a drone, but this one might be the most inventive.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "Confetti Cannons Are a Drone's Worst Enemy," 29 June 2017
The ’wich part of this dish gets inventive too — Midnight Sun uses everything from sweet corn cakes to pound cake to sandwich the ice cream.

— lauren delgado, Orlando Signature, "Ice Cream Shops Serving Unexpected Icy Treats," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inventive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of inventive

15th century

inventive Synonyms

Synonyms

artful, creative, imaginative, ingenious, innovative, clever

Antonyms

uncreative, unimaginative

Related Words

adventurous, fresh, groundbreaking, novel, original, visionary; cleverish, gadgety, gimmicky; convenient, handy, neat, nifty, practical, useful; complex, sophisticated; adroit, deft, dexterous (also dextrous), expert, handsome, tricky; brainy, intelligent, sharp, smart

Near Antonyms

dull, pedantic, pedestrian, stodgy; assembly-line, canned, cookie-cutter, derivative, hackneyed, unoriginal; impractical, useless

INVENTIVE Defined for English Language Learners

inventive

adjective

Definition of inventive for English Language Learners

: having or showing an ability to think of new ideas and methods : creative or imaginative

INVENTIVE Defined for Kids

inventive

adjective in·ven·tive \ in-ˈven-tiv \

Definition of inventive for Students

:creative

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From the M-W Editors

Examples of inventive in a Sentence

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First Known Use of inventive

inventive Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

INVENTIVE Defined for English Language Learners

inventive

Definition of inventive for English Language Learners

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