creative

creative — adjective

1. using imagination or skill to make or think of something new, such as a story, a

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

using imagination or skill to make or think of something new, such as a story, a piece of art, a design, or a way to solve a problem.

Example

Valentina came up with a creative way to recycle old newspapers into gift bags.

creative way to [do something]

The school's creative writing program helped Mayumi build her storytelling skills.

creative writing — set phrase for imaginative writing

Common collocations
  • creative mind
  • creative talent
  • creative approach
  • creative field
  • creative process
Synonyms
  • imaginative

    strongly overlaps but often suggests fantasy or invention rather than problem-solving

  • inventive

    focuses on practical novelty, especially in technology or engineering

  • original

    emphasises novelty and being unlike anything that came before

  • innovative

    suggests new methods or ideas that bring about change, often in business or science

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

creative + noun

be creative (predicative)

Usage Note

Frequently followed by a noun that names the output (creative writing, creative design, creative solution). Can also appear as a predicate adjective after be, feel, or seem: "She felt creative that morning."

Common Mistakes

She is a very creative.
She is a very creative person.' or 'She is very creative.
as an adjective, creative needs a noun after it or a linking verb before it; it cannot stand alone as a noun in this sense.

2. describing things in an unusual and imaginative way to hide the truth or avoid f

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing things in an unusual and imaginative way to hide the truth or avoid following rules, often used to criticise dishonest or misleading behaviour.

Example

The accountant used creative methods to hide the company's losses from investors.

creative accounting — euphemism for dishonest financial reporting

Haruto gave a creative explanation for why the project was late, but nobody believed him.

Common collocations
  • creative accounting
  • creative interpretation
  • creative reading
  • creative explanation
Synonyms
  • dubious

    focuses on questionable honesty rather than imagination

  • dishonest

    stronger and more direct; less playful in tone

  • imaginative

    sometimes used ironically in the same way as creative sense 2

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

creative + noun (accounting, interpretation, reading)

Usage Note

Almost always used before a noun (creative accounting, creative interpretation) and carries a critical or ironic tone. Not used as a predicate adjective in this sense — one does not say "His accounting is creative" without sounding sarcastic.

Common Mistakes

He used creative accounting to save money legally.
He used creative accounting to hide money from the tax office.
creative accounting is deceptive, not simply clever or efficient.

creative — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe the ability to produce something new, but they differ in emphasis. Imaginative stresses the power of forming mental images or fantasies — a child's imaginative drawing may not solve a problem, but it shows mental play. Inventive leans toward practical novelty: an inventive engineer builds a tool that did not exist before. Original emphasises being the first of its kind, free from imitation: an original story does not copy existing plots. Innovative is the most change-oriented term, often used in business and technology to describe methods that transform an industry. For example: Nila was imaginative enough to picture a treehouse city, but Mateo was inventive and built a pulley system to reach it. The company's innovative recycling process won an environmental award. Use creative when you mean a combination of imagination and practical output — it is the broadest and most everyday term.

imaginative ↗inventive ↗original ↗innovative ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • creative thinking
  • creative process
  • creative work
  • creative energy
  • creative freedom

Adverbs

  • highly creative
  • extremely creative
  • truly creative
  • incredibly creative

Phrases

  • creative in one's approach
  • get creative with something

Prepositions

  • creative in
  • creative about

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Creative comes from the Latin verb creare, meaning 'to produce' or 'to bring into being'. The suffix -ivus (later -ive in English) turns the action into a quality: 'having the power to create'. The word entered English in the 1600s and was used mainly in religious or philosophical contexts to describe God's power of creation. By the 1800s it referred more broadly to artistic and imaginative ability. The noun sense — a creative as a job title — emerged in the 20th century, first in advertising and later across media and design industries.