innovator

American  

[in-uh-vey-ter] / ˈɪn əˌveɪ tər /

noun

• innovators
  plural

1. a person or group that introduces something new or does something for the first time.

   He is a true pioneer and innovator who always pushes the boundaries and follows his visions.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• innovators
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

innovator innovators

Wangchuk has had a long career as an engineer and innovator - and has a long history of challenging the status quo.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

That was when Lee Ellen Drechsler, a top R&D executive, stood at a whiteboard with two of the company’s most accomplished scientists: paper-towel pioneer Paul Trokhan and dish-soap innovator Mark Sivik.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has been sampled nearly 200 times, and covered by everyone from R&B innovator D’Angelo to Brazilian singer-actor Seu Jorge.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 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

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

In a statement, he described McClain as “one of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing” and said “it is difficult to imagine a world without him.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

He noted that Mastercard successfully transitioned into the era of mobile commerce in the past and today has partnerships with agentic-AI innovators and cryptocurrency players.

From MarketWatch ● May 25, 2026

The traditional world of sport is being challenged like rarely before, with a host of disruptors and innovators pushing the boundaries in pursuit of growth.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

The displays, rich in photographic documentation, present decades of ornate equipment, along with vintage sewer-worker uniforms and the stories of a cast of what could be called hygiene innovators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

As we see time and again, cutting-edge innovators like those of Beethoven’s youth were composers whose names are now mosdy forgotten: Johann Dussek, Louis Spohr, Muzio Clementi, Etienne Mehul, Fran^ois-Joseph Gossec .

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall