innovator
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of innovator
First recorded in 1590–1600; Late Latin innovātor, equivalent to Latin innovāt(us) + -or -or 2 ( def. ); see innovate ( def. )
Explanation
Innovators innovate — that is, they create new ideas or ways of doing things. The Wright brothers were the ultimate innovators: they were the first to fly. The Unites States has a reputation as a country of innovators because, for generations, many of the world's most exciting new ideas came from its people and companies. Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Mark Zuckerberg: these are just three of the innovators who pioneered whole new technologies and industries. No one had thought the way they did before. Anyone who blazes a trail into new territory can be an innovator — athletes, artists, business people, and chefs, to name just a few.
Vocabulary lists containing innovator
"Democracy in America, Vol. 1" by Alexis de Tocqueville, Introduction–Chapter 5
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"Hip-Hop as Culture" and "I Am Somebody"
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Top Ten Most Relevant Words from Republican Presidential Candidates' Debate - Nov. 10, 2015
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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.
Cindy Blackman Santana, drummer: Stylistically, Miles was a complete innovator.
From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026
Once known more as a technology copycat than as an innovator, China now offers returnees a chance to work in cutting-edge industries.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
By 2011, the company needed a manager of innovative talent more than a singular innovator.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Jobs was known as a creative visionary, a fiery innovator who launched the iPhone and other iconic products.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
In Europe, another innovator, Charles Babbage, born the son of a banker in 1791, was developing an early calculating machine at the time that Morse was refining and evangelizing the telegraph.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
