creative

American  

[kree-ey-tiv] / kriˈeɪ tɪv /

adjective

1. having the power to bring something new into being, as a creature, or to evolve something original from one’s own thought or imagination, as a work of art or invention: In the mythologies of the earliest human societies, the predominant ideas about which sex was more important in reproduction may have determined the sex assigned to the universal creative force.

   Research supports the claim that children are most creative in the early grades, before middle school.

   In the mythologies of the earliest human societies, the predominant ideas about which sex was more important in reproduction may have determined the sex assigned to the universal creative force.

2. resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative.

   creative writing.

3. originative; productive (usually followed byof ).

   Marx believed that labor alone was creative of value, not property ownership.

4. Facetious. using or creating exaggerated or skewed data, information, etc..

   creative bookkeeping.

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noun

1. the people who design and produce artwork, video, copy, etc., for a business, typically in service of advertising and other aspects of marketing.

   Creative really hit this one out of the park—we’ve doubled our conversion rate almost overnight.

2. material made for advertising and other aspects of marketing, as a billboard, video ad, or web page design, or the activity of designing and producing it.

   In our latest campaign for a luxury services client, we used an AI platform to fine-tune creative based on user behavior.

3. a person who is an artist, writer, designer, etc., typically one employed by a business to work in advertising or other aspects of marketing.

   You’ll have to hire at least one new senior-level creative to keep up with the client’s expansion plans.

creative British  

/ kriːˈeɪtɪv /

adjective

1. having the ability to create

2. characterized by originality of thought; having or showing imagination

   a creative mind

3. designed to or tending to stimulate the imagination

   creative toys

4. characterized by sophisticated bending of the rules or conventions

   creative accounting

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noun

1. a creative person, esp one who devises advertising campaigns

Other Word Forms

• anticreativeness
  noun
• creativeness
  noun
• creativity
  noun
• noncreativeness
  noun
• subcreativeness
  noun
• uncreativeness
  noun
• anticreative
  adjective
• noncreative
  adjective
• subcreative
  adjective
• uncreative
  adjective
• anticreatively
  adverb
• creatively
  adverb
• noncreatively
  adverb
• subcreatively
  adverb
• uncreatively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of creative

First recorded in 1670–80; create + -ive

Explanation

Do you like to make art? Do you like to write? Would you like to design clothes or buildings? Then you are a creative person. Creative has to do with new things coming into being: creative is the opposite of destructive. Art class and art schools are good places to be creative. All the artists in a place are known as the "creative community." But being creative isn't just about art — to make anything new or come up with any kind of an idea takes creativity and is therefore creative. Whenever you're making something worthwhile, you're being creative.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

creative

Across town, Fargo is a well-known figure at Fargo Village, the creative hub after which he is named.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Coast and Geodetic Survey—represented here by topographical views of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands in California—Whistler learned the art of etching, which would prove essential to his creative process.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Gakpo ranks in the 78th percentile for link-up play, the 75th for pass progression and the 67th for creative threat, illustrating his comfort combining in tight spaces and contributing to build-up play.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

“I saw the creative energy in New York in the nightlife there,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

“Please. My brain is perfectly well developed, especially the creative side.”

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• gifted
• ingenious
• innovative
• inventive
• original
• productive
• prolific
• visionary