inventive
Americanadjective
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apt at inventing or thinking up new machines or devices, methods, solutions, etc., or at improvising from what is at hand; innovative or ingenious.
Luckily the bike mechanic is a most inventive person—you’ll be surprised at what he can do with a piece of wire and some scrap metal.
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apt at creating with the imagination.
The delightful and tirelessly inventive storyteller is back with an animated stop-motion adventure.
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being the product of imagination, resourcefulness, etc.; creative and original.
It’s an enthralling, inventive, and wholly unique exhibit from an artist without peer.
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relating to or used for inventing.
These recordings captured the musician at the height of her inventive power.
adjective
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skilled or quick at contriving; ingenious; resourceful
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characterized by inventive skill
an inventive programme of work
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of or relating to invention
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of inventive
First recorded in 1400–50; invent + -ive; replacing late Middle English inventif, from Old French
Explanation
To be inventive is to be creative. Inventive people are good at using their imaginations. If you know that inventors create new things, then it makes sense that the word inventive applies to people and behavior that show creativity. Artists are inventive, especially if their work is different than other people's work. Little kids are very inventive: their imaginations have almost no limits. People who copy others aren't inventive, because they're not being original. When people are being inventive, new ideas are flowing.
Vocabulary lists containing inventive
The Ingenious Lexicon of Invention
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Positive Adjectives to Describe People
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The Lions of Little Rock
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some of Ms. Jensen’s pizzas are traditional—plain tomato, Margherita and three-cheese—while others are more inventive.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
It also earned 28-year-old Salam a place on the Observer's list of the best debut novelists of 2026, with the paper saying "his raucous, wildly inventive prose is bound for a much bigger audience".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Indeed, his playing is as supple and inventive as ever.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
Archaeologists working at an ancient site in central China have uncovered evidence that early humans may have become more inventive while living through a brutal ice age.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
Chef Morgan looks straight at me and announces, “Also, we’d like to award honorable mention to Sara Hameed and Elizabeth Shainmark, for the most inventive recipe. Your fusion ice cream has potential.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
