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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Decades before all of that, though, Kusama was a creative maverick. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Katie Becker, chief creative officer of Arc’teryx, said the brand designs products to perform for the long term. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 The type of space your creative friend who lives in Park Slope would own. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026 More than a live music event, Inked & Amped celebrates the independent spirit that fuels local creative communities. — John D. Luerssen, SPIN, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for creative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for creative
  1. innovative
  2. imaginative
  3. inventive
  4. clever
  5. talented
Adjective
  • That has created a rare opportunity for indie devs who want to develop truly creative and innovative titles, many of which can and will become cornerstone franchises of the future.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The Class of 2030 also makes history as the first incoming class to experience Dreamscape Learn, an immersive virtual reality learning platform that brings innovative, experiential learning into the classroom.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of innovative
Adjective
  • The whole business of poetry, the line breaks and stanzas, puts emphasis on imaginative edits and collaging.
    — Amitava Kumar, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Each new spot is an imaginative wonderland and will captivate the attentions of little ones, and parents.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of imaginative
Adjective
  • The pies range from classic to super inventive, like the fan favorite Phoenix pizza made with spicy sopresatta, red peppers and hot honey.
    — USA TODAY Network, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Those scares are best exemplified by the film’s most inventive setpiece, where Gemma gets lost in an endless pillow fort filled with baddies around every corner.
    — William Earl, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of inventive
Adjective
  • The midfielder is a clever front-foot defender, capable of an early tackle or interception to halt opposition momentum.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Allowing commercial director Joe Pytka to continue that work in a feature film that saw Jordan playing basketball alongside the Looney Tunes characters was a clever extension of the campaign.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of clever
Adjective
  • The nearby Park Hill high schools themselves have produced a number of talented players.
    — PJ Green August 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
  • My father was a coal miner and a talented musician who would later perform in several local bluegrass bands.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of talented

Browse Nearby Words

creations
creative
creativeness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Creative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/creative. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All