Meanings
comparative more creative · superlative most creative
- Tending to create things, or having the ability to create; often, excellently, in a novel fashion, or any or all of these.
a creative dramatist who avoids cliche
1 more example
The future belongs to those aware enough to see the system, brave enough to reject it, and creative enough to build something better.
2025 January 23, Joshua Stylman, The Algorithmic AgeSynonyms: pregnant, originative
- Original, expressive and imaginative.
a creative new solution to an old problem
- ironicDesigned or executed to deceive or mislead.
creative accounting and bookkeeping
- euphemisticbad, unartistic, busy.
plural creatives
- countableA person directly involved in a creative process; a creator of creative content.
He is a visionary creative.
3 more examples
Precisely what makes us so promising as thinkers, doers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, what drives us to the top of those fields, makes us vulnerable to this darker side of the psyche.
2016, Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy, page 1Rob Lennox is an artsy guy. He's an uber-passionate creative, constantly raving about his latest ideas and inspirations, and as far as dads go, he's pretty great.
2024, Christine Riccio, Attached at the Hip, page 5In a speech in Sydney, he promised Australia's laws "will spell … out" clear protections for creatives who permit AI to train on their books, music and art, and also implied further work to come on the copyright issue.
2026 July 16, Clare Armstrong, “AI office urged to include artists after Anthony Albanese's copyright promise”, in ABC News - uncountableArtistic material used in advertising, e.g. photographs, drawings, or videos.
The design team has completed the creative for next month's multi-part ad campaign.
1 more example
I've included in my portfolio all the creative I've completed in my five year design career.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveTending to create things, or having the ability to create; often, excellently, in a novel fashion, or any or all of these.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehaving the ability or power to create
adjectivepromoting construction or creation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱer-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱreh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱreh₁eh₂yéti
- Proto-Italic[Term?]
- Latincreō
- Latincreātīvus
- Englishcreative
Borrowed from Late Latin creātīvus, from Latin creō. Equivalent to create + -ive. Displaced native Old English orþanclīċ.
More words from Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic إِبْداعِيّ, خَلَّاق
- إِبْداعِيّ (ʔibdāʕiyy)having the ability to create
- خَلَّاق (ḵallāq)having the ability to create
- مُبْدِع (mubdiʕ)having the ability to create
Bulgarian творчески, съзидателен
- творчески (tvorčeski)having the ability to create
- съзидателен (săzidatelen)having the ability to create
- творчески (tvorčeski)original, expressive, and imaginative
Catalan creatiu, creatiu
- creatiuhaving the ability to create
- creatiuoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- creatiuperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
Czech tvořivý, tvořivý
- tvořivýhaving the ability to create
- tvořivýoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Dutch creatief, creatief
- creatiefhaving the ability to create
- creatieforiginal, expressive, and imaginative
- kunstzinnigoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- creatiefperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
Esperanto krea, kreema
- kreahaving the ability to create
- kreemahaving the ability to create
Finnish luova, luova
- luovahaving the ability to create
- luovaoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- luovan työn tekijäperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
- visumateriaaliartistic material
- visutartistic material
French créatif, créatif
- créatifhaving the ability to create
- créatiforiginal, expressive, and imaginative
- créatifperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
- créativeperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
German kreativ, schöpferisch
- kreativhaving the ability to create
- schöpferischhaving the ability to create
- kreativoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- originelloriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Greek δημιουργικός, δημιουργικός
- δημιουργικός (dimiourgikós)having the ability to create
- δημιουργικός (dimiourgikós)original, expressive, and imaginative
Hebrew יצירתי
- יצירתי (yetsiratí)having the ability to create
Hindi रचनात्मकता, रचनात्मक
- रचनात्मकता (racnātmaktā)having the ability to create
- रचनात्मक (racnātmak)original, expressive, and imaginative
Hungarian alkotó, kreatív
- alkotóhaving the ability to create
- kreatívhaving the ability to create
- ötletesoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- találékonyoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- alkotóperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
Icelandic skapandi, skapandi
- skapandihaving the ability to create
- skapandioriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Italian creativo, creativo
- creativohaving the ability to create
- creativooriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- creativoperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
- creativaperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
Japanese 創造的な, 独創的
- 創造的な (sōzōteki na)having the ability to create
- 独創的 (dokusōteki na)having the ability to create
- 創造的な (sōzōteki na)original, expressive, and imaginative
- 独創的 (dokusōteki na)original, expressive, and imaginative
Latin ingeniosus
- ingeniosusoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Malay berdaya cipta, kreatif
- berdaya ciptahaving the ability to create
- kreatifhaving the ability to create
Māori auaha
- auahahaving the ability to create
Norwegian skapende, oppfinnsom
- skapendehaving the ability to create
- oppfinnsomoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- kreativoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Persian خلاق
- خلاق (xallaġ)having the ability to create
Polish twórczy, twórczy
- twórczyhaving the ability to create
- twórczyoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- kreatywnyoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Portuguese criativo, criador
- criativohaving the ability to create
- criadorhaving the ability to create
- criativooriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- criativoperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
- criativaperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
Romanian creativ, creator
- creativhaving the ability to create
- creatorhaving the ability to create
- inventivhaving the ability to create
- creativoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Russian созида́тельный, тво́рческий
- созида́тельный (sozidátelʹnyj)having the ability to create
- тво́рческий (tvórčeskij)having the ability to create
Spanish creativo, creativo
- creativohaving the ability to create
- creativooriginal, expressive, and imaginative
- creativoperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
- creativaperson directly involved in a creative marketing process
Swedish kreativ, kreativ
- kreativhaving the ability to create
- kreativoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Tagalog malikhain, malikhain
- malikhainhaving the ability to create
- malikhainoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Thai สร้างสรรค์
- สร้างสรรค์ (sâang-sǎn)original, expressive, and imaginative
Turkish yaratıcı, yaratıcı
- yaratıcıhaving the ability to create
- yaratıcıoriginal, expressive, and imaginative
Ukrainian тво́рчий, тво́рчий
- тво́рчий (tvórčyj)having the ability to create
- тво́рчий (tvórčyj)original, expressive, and imaginative
Vietnamese sáng tạo
- sáng tạohaving the ability to create
Welsh creadigol
- creadigolhaving the ability to create
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with creative
Anagrams
Cite this entry
creative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/creative
“creative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/creative. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “creative,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/creative.
Source: creative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.