innovative
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- innovatively adverb
- innovativeness noun
- uninnovative adjective
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.
The drugmaker’s innovative drug sales rose 26% on year in 1Q, and innovative products accounted for a larger proportion of total sales.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
By 2011, the company needed a manager of innovative talent more than a singular innovator.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
A mechanical engineer who helped architect Apple Silicon — arguably Apple’s most genuinely innovative achievement under Cook — he represents a return to product-first thinking.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
The band released “Beggars Banquet” in late 1968 and “Let It Bleed” the following year, albums every bit as innovative and visionary as “The White Album” and “Abbey Road.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
With the publication of his novels The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau in the mid-1890s, he became known for his innovative scientific romances, today known as science fiction.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
