creative

adjective

krē-ˈā-tiv How to pronounce creative (audio)
Definition of creativenext
1
as in innovative
having the skill and imagination to create new things Thomas Edison's status as perhaps America's greatest creative genius

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imaginative
showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing always coming up with creative ways to use hamburger

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of creative Balaji’s long-term creative partnership with Netflix, announced last year, marked a push to develop projects across multiple formats. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026 Dean Fryer, the restaurant’s namesake, nursed a pint outside while chatting with creative director Nicholas Blechman. — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Michael Phelan, who cofounded the Marfa Invitational in 2019, has been announced as SFI’s creative director and curator. — News Desk, Artforum, 9 Oct. 2026 Were you guarded lyrically before, and has your creative process changed in light of that? — Rob Ledonne, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for creative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creative
  1. innovative
  2. imaginative
  3. inventive
  4. clever
  5. talented
Adjective
  • To help smaller, innovative brands get past minimum order quantity barriers, Hyosung combines demand from several partners.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Microsoft makes a big investment, and when the company’s innovative earth-shaking ChatGPT becomes a sensation Altman changes to goals and goes for profit.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of innovative
Adjective
  • From this format emerges the tacit thesis that the Bicentennial cultural activities excelled at provoking critical, imaginative reflections on America’s past and future from artmakers and from ordinary citizens alike.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Expanding on French drama series, Debeurme praised his colleagues and fellow artists presenting audacious, imaginative projects in La Rochelle.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginative
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of inventive
Adjective
  • By upgrading synthetic skin from a passive sensor into an energy harvester, the Fudan team offers a clever alternative to deadweight batteries.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Halloween is sneaking up frighteningly fast, which means the window for coming up with a genuinely clever costume is closing at an alarming rate.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of clever
Adjective
  • There’s no more talented quartet of perimeter players on one team than James/Brown/Maxey/Edgecombe.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The story plays out in New York’s cutthroat acting scene, where a talented Indian actor chasing his craft falls under the sway of Keitel’s teacher.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of talented

Browse Nearby Words

creations
creative
creativeness
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Cite this Entry

“Creative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creative. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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