Synonyms of invention

invention

noun

in-ˈven(t)-shən 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• innovation
• creation
• product
• device
• conception
• coinage
• contrivance
• work
• design
• concoction
• wrinkle
• novelty
• brainchild
• gadget
• contraption
• dream
• origination
• vision
• gizmo
• fantasy
• picture
• imagining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reproduction
• imitation
• copy
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• replication
• clone
• replica
• carbon copy
• reduplication
• dupe

2

as in fiction

something that is the product of the imagination

unsurprisingly, the story about being kidnapped by aliens was pure invention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fiction
• tale
• fabrication
• novel
• story
• fantasy
• fable
• narrative
• figment
• anecdote
• misrepresentation
• lie
• yarn
• fairy tale
• prevarication
• falsehood
• mendacity
• untruth
• falsity
• make-believe
• fib
• whopper

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fact
• reality
• materiality
• actuality
• realness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imagination
• creativity
• imaginativeness
• inventiveness
• fertility
• ideation
• contrivance
• originality
• fantasy
• ingenuity
• fancy
• resourcefulness
• inspiration
• versatility
• fecundity
• brainstorming
• dream
• brainstorm
• pipe dream
• illusion
• daydream
• visualization
• delusion
• chimera
• hallucination
• mirage
• figment
• phantasm
• mind's eye
• envisaging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• literalness
• literality

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imagination
• creativity
• creativeness
• ingenuity
• inventiveness
• innovativeness
• talent
• imaginativeness
• ingeniousness
• originality
• cleverness
• productivity
• productiveness
• resourcefulness
• fertility
• fruitfulness
• fecundity
• capableness
• genius
• prolificness
• prolificacy
• prolificity
• muse
• giftedness
• inspiration
• fire

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dryness
• dullness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of invention

To inhabit the facts of another writer’s life without invention requires the most detailed primary research, not only in literary archives but in almanacs, old newsprint, civic records. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Some have proposed reducing research funding or reinterpreting Bayh-Dole to give the government greater control over university inventions. — Robert Dannals, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2026

The research team hopes this invention will help build the next generation of robots capable of handling delicate objects without damaging them. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 20 July 2026

That shift may prove as significant for ocean governance as the invention of radar was for maritime navigation. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026