ingenuity
Americannoun
plural
ingenuities-
the quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful; inventiveness.
a designer of great ingenuity.
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cleverness or skillfulness of conception or design.
a device of great ingenuity.
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an ingenious contrivance or device.
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Obsolete. ingenuousness.
noun
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inventive talent; cleverness
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an ingenious device, act, etc
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archaic frankness; candour
Other Word Forms
- hyperingenuity noun
- superingenuity noun
Etymology
Origin of ingenuity
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin ingenuitās “innate virtue, etc.” ( ingenuous, -ity ); current senses by association with ingenious
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.
Because of the war, young men are scarce and morale is dragging, so putting together a choir with the right range of voices will take some ingenuity, and an effort to breach the usual boundaries.
But the third, about a Latino World War II pilot who bests a Yautja in a deadly flight contest, underscores ingenuity as being superior to any weapon or combat skill.
From Salon
In “The Origins of Efficiency,” Brian Potter reveals the role of human ingenuity in refining modern technologies.
The idea was for him to bring that same ingenuity to New York—only with the benefit of unrivaled cash to spend.
She’s given you this money to oil the wheels of your own ingenuity, and you’ve begun doing just that.
From MarketWatch
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.
