ingenious

ingenious — adjective

1. A person who is ingenious is naturally good at finding clever and original ways

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

A person who is ingenious is naturally good at finding clever and original ways to solve problems or create useful things. A design, idea, or machine described as ingenious is made or planned in a highly clever way, using fresh thinking that works well for its purpose.

Example

Mira came up with an ingenious way to keep vegetables fresh without using electricity.

collocation: ingenious way to + verb

This wheelchair is so ingenious that it folds small enough to fit inside a car trunk.

pattern: so ingenious that + result clause

Common collocations
  • ingenious way
  • ingenious method
  • ingenious design
  • ingenious solution
  • ingenious system
  • ingenious idea
  • ingenious device
  • ingenious plan
Synonyms
  • clever

    more general and less formal; can describe simple smartness

  • inventive

    focuses on the ability to create or think of new things

  • resourceful

    emphasises the ability to handle difficult situations with limited means

Antonyms
  • clumsy

    describes something badly made or planned

  • unimaginative

    describes something lacking new or original ideas

Word family

  • ingeniously
    adverbB2
  • ingeniousness
    nounC1
  • ingenuity
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Clever is the broadest and most common of these words — it can describe any quick intelligence, from a clever joke to a clever trick. Inventive focuses on the ability to create or design new things, especially machines or methods that did not exist before. Resourceful emphasises making the best use of whatever materials or help are available, often in difficult situations. Creative leans toward imagination and artistic or original thinking rather than practical problem-solving. For example: a clever student might find a shortcut on a test; an inventive engineer designs a new engine; a resourceful traveller builds a shelter from branches; a creative writer produces an unusual story.

clever ↗inventive ↗resourcefulcreative ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • highly ingenious
  • truly ingenious
  • very ingenious

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Ingenious comes from the Latin word ingenium, meaning 'natural ability' or 'talent'. It entered English through French in the 1400s, originally describing someone with a sharp, natural intelligence. Over time it also came to describe the clever products of that intelligence.