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.
Researchers in Japan have developed an innovative way to turn a chemical produced by cancer cells into a weapon against them.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
“When they first took power, they were incredibly innovative and incredibly creative,” Guerra said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
On the eve of the summit's close in Yerevan, UN biodiversity chief Astrid Schomaker said countries "must be bold and innovative to find common ground".
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
He says he's always thinking of ways for Call of Duty to leverage its position and "show up in culture in a really big and innovative way" to reach "as many people as possible".
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Up until then humans had displayed some innovative adaptations and behaviours, but their effect on their environment had been negligible.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
