Meanings
adjectiveingenious (comparative more ingenious, superlative most ingenious)
comparative more ingenious · superlative most ingenious · alternative obsolete engenious
- Of a thing, characterized by genius; cleverly contrived or done.
That is an ingenious model of the atom.
1 more example
Many ingenious lovely things are gone / That seemed sheer miracle to the multitude, / protected from the circle of the moon / That pitches common things about.
1928, W[illiam] B[utler] Yeats, “Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen”, in The Tower, page 32Synonyms: artful
- Showing originality or sagacity; characterized by ingenuity; witty.
He sent me an ingenious reply to an email.
1 more example
I have scarcely recovered the surprise of the ingenious question, before I meet another surprise in the still more ingenious answer
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 147Synonyms: adroit, keen, sagacious, shrewd, witty, amusing, bright, diverting
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf a person, displaying genius, ingenuity or brilliance; inventive.
adjectiveOf a thing, characterized by genius; cleverly contrived or done.
Similar
adjectiveShowing originality or sagacity; characterized by ingenuity; witty.
More synonyms by meaning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Latingenere
- Latiningeniōsus“endowed with good natural capacity, gifted with genius”
- Old Frenchengenious
- Middle Frenchingénieux
- Englishingenious
Borrowed from Middle French ingénieux, from Old French engenious, from Latin ingeniōsus (“endowed with good natural capacity, gifted with genius”), from ingenium (“innate or natural quality, natural capacity, genius”), from in- (“in”) + gignere (“to produce”), Old Latin genere. See also engine.
More words from Middle French, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek εὑρετικός, εὐπάλαμος
- εὑρετικός (heuretikós)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- εὐπάλαμος (eupálamos)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- φρενοτέκτων (phrenotéktōn)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- εὐπάλαμος (eupálamos)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Arabic عَبْقَرِيّ, عَبْقَرِيّ
- عَبْقَرِيّ (ʕabqariyy)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- عَبْقَرِيّ (ʕabqariyy)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Bulgarian изобретателен, находчив
- изобретателен (izobretatelen)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- находчив (nahodčiv)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- изкусен (izkusen)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- остроумен (ostroumen)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Catalan enginyós, enginyós
- enginyósdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- enginyóscharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- enginyóswitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Chinese Cantonese 巧妙
- 巧妙 (haau² miu⁶)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Chinese Mandarin 有发明才能的, 聪明的
- 有发明才能的displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- 聪明的characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- 巧妙 (qiǎomiào)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- 热情的witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- 独创的witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Czech důmyslný, geniální
- důmyslnýdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- geniálnícharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Danish opfindsomt, opfindsomt
- opfindsomtdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- opfindsomtcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Dutch ingenieus, vernuftig
- ingenieusdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- vernuftigwitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Esperanto genia
- geniacharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Finnish nerokas, nerokas
- nerokasdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- nerokascharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- teräväwitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- nokkelawitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
French ingénieux, ingénieux
- ingénieuxdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- ingénieuxcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
German ingeniös, genial
- ingeniösdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- genialdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- einfallsreichdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- originelldisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- findigdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- clevercharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- geschickt gemachtcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- einfallsreichcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- findigcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- findigwitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- geistreichwitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- einfallsreichwitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Greek εφευρετικός, μεγαλοφυής
- εφευρετικός (efevretikós)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- μεγαλοφυής (megalofyís)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- πολυμήχανος (polymíchanos)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- δαιμόνιος (daimónios)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Hungarian találékony, leleményes
- találékonydisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- leleményeswitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Italian ingegnoso
- ingegnosodisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
Polish pomysłowy, pomysłowy
- pomysłowydisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- pomysłowycharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Portuguese engenhoso, engenhoso
- engenhosodisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- engenhosocharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Romanian cu iscusință, iscusit
- cu iscusințădisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- iscusitdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- ingeniosdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- genialcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Russian изобрета́тельный, нахо́дчивый
- изобрета́тельный (izobretátelʹnyj)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- нахо́дчивый (naxódčivyj)displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- хитроу́мный (xitroúmnyj)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- оригина́льный (originálʹnyj)characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- остроумный (ostroumnyj)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- оригинальный (originalʹnyj)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- затейливый (zatejlivyj)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- замысловатый (zamyslovatyj)witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Scottish Gaelic seòlta, teòma
- seòltadisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- teòmadisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- seòltacharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- teòmacharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- seòltawitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
- teòmawitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Spanish ingenioso, ingenioso
- ingeniosodisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- ingeniosocharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
- ingeniosowitty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious
Swedish finurlig, snillrik
- finurligdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- snillrikdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
- finurligcharacterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived
Turkish yaratıcı
- yaratıcıdisplaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ingenious
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
ingenious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ingenious
MLA
“ingenious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ingenious. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ingenious,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ingenious.
Source: ingenious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.