inventive
Americanadjective
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apt at inventing or thinking up new machines or devices, methods, solutions, etc., or at improvising from what is at hand; innovative or ingenious.
Luckily the bike mechanic is a most inventive person—you’ll be surprised at what he can do with a piece of wire and some scrap metal.
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apt at creating with the imagination.
The delightful and tirelessly inventive storyteller is back with an animated stop-motion adventure.
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being the product of imagination, resourcefulness, etc.; creative and original.
It’s an enthralling, inventive, and wholly unique exhibit from an artist without peer.
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relating to or used for inventing.
These recordings captured the musician at the height of her inventive power.
adjective
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skilled or quick at contriving; ingenious; resourceful
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characterized by inventive skill
an inventive programme of work
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of or relating to invention
Other Word Forms
- inventively adverb
- inventiveness noun
- preinventive adjective
- uninventive adjective
- uninventively adverb
Etymology
Origin of inventive
First recorded in 1400–50; invent + -ive; replacing late Middle English inventif, from Old French
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 actor stars in an oddly but infectiously upbeat production on Broadway, full of inventive audience participation, about a man shadowed by his mother’s depression.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
The story itself is relatively easy to follow: a heroine travels through different realms in an effort to restore balance, all while audiences are treated to impressive choreography, elaborate costumes and inventive stage effects.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2026
The left-hander played inventive scoops, powerful drives and elegant flicks and when he departed the stage the crowd rose to him.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
Andie’s disorganized but inventive, and that’s exactly the way she likes it.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
When tusks were discovered, they were forced into the animal’s head in any number of inventive ways.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
