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.
Known for an unfailing ear for innovative music and an innate ability to navigate the shifting currents of popular music, Davis ruled Columbia, Arista and J Records.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
Clear Architects said the plans were "truly outstanding and innovative" and will ensure a "carbon neutral" development.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026
It’s his version of and homage to the innovative work of groundbreaking environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026
Can an amazingly innovative industry actually get paid for its innovations?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
He was equally enthralled by Lawrence’s innovative Journal Club, that weekly free-form exchange of scientific data and news for graduate students, physics faculty, and the occasional visiting eminences that Oppie called Lawrence’s “other great invention.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
