creativity

American  

[kree-ey-tiv-i-tee, kree-uh-] / ˌkri eɪˈtɪv ɪ ti, ˌkri ə- /

noun

1. the state or quality of being creative.

2. the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.

   the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.

3. the process by which one utilizes creative ability.

   Extensive reading stimulated his creativity.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• uncreativity
  noun
• anticreativity
  noun
• noncreativity
  noun

Etymology

Origin of creativity

First recorded in 1870–75; creative + -ity

Explanation

Creativity is the ability to transcend the ordinary. It's the critical thinking skill that allows you to "think outside the box" to come up with original solutions to problems. We often think of creativity as limited to the arts, but it is a necessary element in all areas of life. Without creativity we would not have the mathematical theories that presented us with fractals, or the technological imagination that could foresee people walking on the moon. It was creativity that harnessed lightning into electricity and later used that electricity to send messages through wires. Without creativity, we probably would never have invented the wheel or domesticated fire!