innovative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of innovative
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.
Vocabulary lists containing innovative
Brand Spankin' New: Words with Neo- and Nov-
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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Mardi Gras: Fun
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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.
Using an innovative DNA recording technology, the researchers followed how those early cells multiplied, developed specialized roles, and eventually helped form a body with distinct organs and tissues.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
According to Psychology Today, “the same neural pathways responsible for generating innovative connections for humor may also create the intense introspection characteristic of depression.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 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
"There is still a huge amount of work to be done regarding authorisations and evolving regulations so that we can truly start using these innovative technologies," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
In charge of them all and entrusted by the legislature to build the new prison was a cruel but innovative disciplinarian, Elam Lynds.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
