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.
But I also sensed from them a desire to be taken seriously as innovative contributors to the field—not copycats or free riders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The food-and-beverage industry has been cranking out new products to cut through consumer malaise and compete with retailers’ store-brand products, which are cheaper but at times just as innovative.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
In 2020, William founded the Earthshot Prize - a 10-year scheme launched to find innovative ways of saving the planet, with £1m each in funding for five winners every year.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The most innovative device unveiled Wednesday is the Galaxy Z Fold8.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 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.
