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What is the opposite of the word innovative?

innovative

American  
[in-uh-vay-tiv] / ˈɪn əˌveɪ tɪv /
especially British, innovatory

adjective

  1. tending to innovate, or introduce something new or different; characterized by innovation.


innovative British  
/ ˈɪnəˌveɪtɪv /

adjective

  1. using or showing new methods, ideas, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of innovative

First recorded in 1600–10; innovate + -ive

Explanation

Something innovative is new and original. If you love to experiment and find new ways to do things, you are an innovative person. Innovative, like nova, novel, and novice, comes from the Latin novus, which means new. Something innovative renews or alters the way something has been done. You can use innovative to describe the thing or the person that made it. If your English teacher objects to your experimental writing style, tell him, "I'm an innovative writer making innovative sentences!" Antonyms are unoriginal and hackneyed.

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Vocabulary lists containing innovative

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.

See Examples For:

"These investigations exemplify how Artemis and Moon Base are expanding the frontier of lunar exploration, advancing innovative technologies, deepening our understanding of the Moon's environment, and paving the way for future astronaut missions."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

But studies show AI text detectors are often unreliable, generating false positives that can erode trust between instructors and students and forcing teachers to devise innovative methods to detect cheating and evaluate assignments.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Co-ordinator of Share Oxford, which also runs repair cafes in Oxford, Ben Tuppen previously said society needed to be more innovative in its approach to sustainability.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Ukraine’s military-manufacturing industry is producing some of the world’s best and most innovative air, land and sea drones and cutting-edge signals-jamming equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

China then ceased to be innovative for reasons about which we shall speculate in the Epilogue.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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