1
as in innovation
something (as a device) created for the first time through the use of the imagination
his clever invention made people's lives easier
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2
as in fiction
something that is the product of the imagination
unsurprisingly, the story about being kidnapped by aliens was pure invention
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3
as in imagination
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others
a writer with great invention, she is able to create on the page worlds that don't exist but certainly seem like they could
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4
as in creativity
the skill and imagination to create new things
a person of seemingly endless invention, Thomas Edison held a world-record 1,093 patents
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of invention
Leon’s invention secured interest from Gaston himself, who came to see him in Venezuela in 1987.
—
Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Constraint has often been the mother of invention.
—Ravi Kumar S, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Constraints can often be good for innovation (necessity is supposed to be the mother of invention after all).
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
This is not a TikTok invention.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for invention
Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026
Constraint has often been the mother of invention.
—Ravi Kumar S, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Constraints can often be good for innovation (necessity is supposed to be the mother of invention after all).
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
This is not a TikTok invention.
—Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for invention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invention
Noun
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If people continue to offload their reasoning to AI, Dehghani agrees that communities will lose creative innovation and the ability to critique mainstream ideas or even political candidates.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Ukraine responded with quick innovation of its own, including low-cost interceptor drones designed to track and destroy incoming drones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If the creation of fiction is a layered endeavor—if premise, plot, style, and so on are to some extent separable—then must all the layers be made by the same individual?—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Every month, Emma Alpern and Jasmine Vojdani recommend new fiction and nonfiction books.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
May 21 – June 20 When structure meets imagination, conversations bloom.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Their height and heft frightened and thrilled spectators, earning dinosaurs a permanent place in the public imagination, Coules said.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Yet in courts today, those same song lyrics can be presented to a jury as evidence of guilt, casting creativity as a literal confession.—
Ivan J. Bates,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Sunny Rey Azzarito was in the fourth grade and struggling a bit in school when her teacher looked at one of her assignments and saw creativity where someone else may have chosen criticism.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ammonia damaged the paper preserving ancient chronicles (letopisi) of tales that served the needs of princes and priests at the expense of those beneath them or at their throats.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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The 20-track LP serves as equal parts music and cinema in which Crockett weaves a tale of McLane as a cattle rustler on the run from the law who — eventually — gets his redemption.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There's also a palpable new seam of imaginativeness among residents.—
Toby Skinner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
But without freedom, Berdyaev writes, creativeness is impossible.—
Andrew McDiarmid,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As models have grown more complex, some hallucinate with more persuasive fabrications.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Last year, Deloitte produced two reports for government clients in Australia and Canada that were both found to be riddled with fabrications.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Invention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invention. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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