inventive

[in-ven-tiv]

See more synonyms for inventive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

apt at inventing, devising, or contriving.
apt at creating with the imagination.
having the function of inventing.

pertaining to, involving, or showing invention.

Origin of inventive

1400–50; invent + -ive; replacing late Middle English inventif < Middle French

Related formsin·ven·tive·ly, adverbin·ven·tive·ness, nounpre·in·ven·tive, adjectiveun·in·ven·tive, adjectiveun·in·ven·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for inventiveness

Contemporary Examples

My father excelled in business above all by imagination and inventiveness.
My Eulogy for My Father, Murray Frum
David Frum
May 31, 2013
Sometimes Chinese inventiveness is just process innovation or casual repurposing of existing technologies.
China’s Next Big Export: Creativity and Culture
Ken Miller
November 22, 2012
Her brashness, inventiveness, and inexhaustible energy carried her the rest of the way.
Elsa Maxwell, the Kingmaker
Mark Braude
November 1, 2012
The variety and inventiveness of English is arranged on the pages not as dry text but as a living tapestry of language.
Wunnerfitz! Sollybuster! The Fun of the Dictionary of American Regional English
Ammon Shea
April 12, 2012
Our inventiveness and drive have made America “not just a place on a map, but a light to the world.”
Obama's Speech From the Future
Jeremy McCarter
January 26, 2011

Historical Examples

Challenges of this kind to inventiveness and activity are outstanding all the time.
Rural Life and the Rural School
Joseph Kennedy
But I did not invest my inventiveness wisely; I should have shared the idea with Barnum.
Memoirs
Charles Godfrey Leland
Surely it won't hazard his inventiveness: it will develop it.
Red Pepper Burns
Grace S. Richmond
It was won, if not precisely with inventiveness, at least with "brains."
Invention
Bradley A. Fiske
Certainly New York is the town for novelty and inventiveness.
Wanted: A Cook
Alan Dale

British Dictionary definitions for inventiveness

inventive

adjective

skilled or quick at contriving; ingenious; resourceful
characterized by inventive skillan inventive programme of work
of or relating to invention

Derived Formsinventively, adverbinventiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inventiveness

inventive

adj.

early 15c., "skilled in invention," from Old French inventif (15c.), from Latin invent-, past participle stem of invenire (see invention). Related: Inventively; inventiveness.

inventive

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}inventive

Examples from the Web for inventiveness

Contemporary Examples

My father excelled in business above all by imagination and inventiveness.

Sometimes Chinese inventiveness is just process innovation or casual repurposing of existing technologies.

Her brashness, inventiveness, and inexhaustible energy carried her the rest of the way.

The variety and inventiveness of English is arranged on the pages not as dry text but as a living tapestry of language.

Our inventiveness and drive have made America “not just a place on a map, but a light to the world.”

Historical Examples

Challenges of this kind to inventiveness and activity are outstanding all the time.

But I did not invest my inventiveness wisely; I should have shared the idea with Barnum.

Surely it won't hazard his inventiveness: it will develop it.

It was won, if not precisely with inventiveness, at least with "brains."

Certainly New York is the town for novelty and inventiveness.

inventive

Word Origin and History for inventiveness

inventive

adj.

Origin of inventive