creative

[ kree-ey-tiv ]

/ kriˈeɪ tɪv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: creative / creativeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having the power to bring something new into being, as a creature, or to evolve something original from one’s own thought or imagination, as a work of art or invention:Research supports the claim that children are most creative in the early grades, before middle school.In the mythologies of the earliest human societies, the predominant ideas about which sex was more important in reproduction may have determined the sex assigned to the universal creative force.

resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative: creative writing.

originative; productive (usually followed by of):Marx believed that labor alone was creative of value, not property ownership.

Facetious. using or creating exaggerated or skewed data, information, etc.: creative bookkeeping.

noun

the people who design and produce artwork, video, copy, etc., for a business, typically in service of advertising and other aspects of marketing: Creative really hit this one out of the park—we’ve doubled our conversion rate almost overnight.

material made for advertising and other aspects of marketing, as a billboard, video ad, or web page design, or the activity of designing and producing it: In our latest campaign for a luxury services client, we used an AI platform to fine-tune creative based on user behavior.

a person who is an artist, writer, designer, etc., typically one employed by a business to work in advertising or other aspects of marketing:You’ll have to hire at least one new senior-level creative to keep up with the client’s expansion plans.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of creative

First recorded in 1670–80; create + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM creative

cre·a·tive·ly, adverbcre·a·tive·ness, nounan·ti·cre·a·tive, adjectivean·ti·cre·a·tive·ly, adverb

an·ti·cre·a·tive·ness, nounnon·cre·a·tive, adjectivenon·cre·a·tive·ly, adverbnon·cre·a·tive·ness, nounsub·cre·a·tive, adjectivesub·cre·a·tive·ly, adverbsub·cre·a·tive·ness, nounun·cre·a·tive, adjectiveun·cre·a·tive·ly, adverbun·cre·a·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use creative in a sentence

When Shana Tinkle was finishing high school, it was more or less “a rite of passage” to go on and get a bachelor’s degree, she said — in her case, in creative writing from Brown University.
More people with bachelor’s degrees go back to school to learn skilled trades|Jon Marcus|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
This winter, we’ll all need to get creative with our fueling, but it shouldn’t be too hard.
How COVID-19 Could Actually Be Good for Skiing|Marc Peruzzi|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
The insights may lead advertisers to tailor their campaign creative specifically to when an ad would run on CTV.
How YouTube is working to focus advertisers’ attentions on its connected TV inventory|Tim Peterson|November 19, 2020|Digiday
The competition has led to some rather creative marketing ploys.
Free money, big addictions: Inside the booming world of online sports betting|Brett Haensel|November 15, 2020|Fortune

Long story short, I ended up building my own creative production studio that worked with everyone from early stage startups to Google and Facebook.
The boutique aperitif brand finding favor with millennials making more cocktails at home|Rachel King|November 15, 2020|Fortune
If one of them gets stuck creatively we tear it down and rebuild it in their own image.
Taylor Swift’s Secret Music Man: Max Martin, Elusive Hitmaker|Debra A. Klein|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were supportive creatively for us doing something unique.
The TV Superhero Guru Behind ‘The Flash’|Jason Lynch|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lonergan has endured a creatively brutal time since the success of This Is Our Youth.
Michael Cera Brings ‘This Is Our Youth’ to Broadway After 18 Years|Tom Teodorczuk|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Creatively, I admire people like [Jean] Debuffet and Isamu Noguchi.
Lina Viktor Is the Artist Who Paints With Gold|Erin Cunningham|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For me, Bobin and I wrote the script together and we accomplished exactly what we wanted to accomplish creatively.
The Unheralded Comedy Genius: Nicholas Stoller on ‘Neighbors,’ Zac Efron’s ‘Darkness,’ and Diddy|Marlow Stern|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To estimate and interpret the work of an artist is to be creatively just to him.
Auguste Rodin|Rainer Maria Rilke
Religion never has been an independent force acting from outside creatively to mold the mores or the ideas of men.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
The Italian genius is not creatively imaginative in the highest sense.
Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, Second Series|John Addington Symonds
The artists intuition must be understood, by a mind that follows it creatively; even if its creation be at times over-ingenious.
Beauty and the Beast|Stewart A. McDowall
Having chosen this way, we are called upon to do it effectively, creatively.
An Interpretation of Friends Worship|N. Jean Toomer

British Dictionary definitions for creative

creative

/ (kriːˈeɪtɪv) /

adjective

having the ability to create

characterized by originality of thought; having or showing imaginationa creative mind

designed to or tending to stimulate the imaginationcreative toys

characterized by sophisticated bending of the rules or conventionscreative accounting

noun

a creative person, esp one who devises advertising campaigns

Derived forms of creative

creatively, adverbcreativeness, nouncreativity, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

creative

Origin of creative

OTHER WORDS FROM creative

Words related to creative

How to use creative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for creative

Derived forms of creative