Dictionary

ingenious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ɪnˈd͡ʒiːni.əs/
• /ɪnˈd͡ʒiːnjəs/

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. Of a person, displaying genius, ingenuity or brilliance; inventive.
   • This fellow is ingenious; he fixed a problem I didn’t even know I had.
2. Of a thing, characterized by genius; cleverly contrived or done.
   • That is an ingenious model of the atom.
   • 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 32:
3. Showing originality or sagacity; characterized by ingenuity; witty.
   • He sent me an ingenious reply to an email.
   • 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 147:

Forms

Deriveds

superingenious · ingeniously · hyperingenious · overingenious · ultraingenious · uningenious

Relateds

genius · ingeniosity · engine · engineer · ingeniousness

Synonyms

brainy · witty · hivey · shrewd · quick on the uptake · talented · knowledgeable · quick-witted · quick-witted · savvy · intelligent · gifted · tongue-in-cheek · quick · bright · genius · brilliant · piquant · jocular · sagacious · wise · amusing · scholared · clever · droll · piquant · whip-smart · sharp · ingenious · keen · adroit · sharp · jocose · quick on the draw · sagacious · smart · intellectual · quick · keen · bright · educated · diverting · rational · artful · astute · entertaining · humorous

Translations (90)

de findig (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · de einfallsreich (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · ru оригина́льный (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · ru затейливый (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · fr ingénieux (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · de genial (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · ar عَبْقَرِيّ (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · tr yaratıcı (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · fr ingénieux (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · cmn 独创的 (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · gd teòma (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · fi nerokas (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · de ingeniös (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · de einfallsreich (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · grc φρενοτέκτων (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · cmn 聪明的 (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · it ingegnoso (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · sv snillrik (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · grc εὐπάλαμος (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · ro iscusit (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · pl pomysłowy (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · de clever (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · es ingenioso (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · nl ingenieus (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · sa चतुर (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · el εφευρετικός (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · ro cu iscusință (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · bg изкусен (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · ru изобрета́тельный (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · nl vernuftig (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · el μεγαλοφυής (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · pt engenhoso (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · da opfindsomt (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · sv finurlig (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · de geschickt gemacht (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · ru остроумный (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · cs geniální (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · bg остроумен (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · nan-hbl 巧妙 (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · de einfallsreich (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · gd seòlta (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · gd teòma (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · scn strummintusu (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · gd seòlta (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · de originell (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · fi nerokas (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · cmn 有发明才能的 (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · ca enginyós (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · de geistvoll (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · ca enginyós (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · pt engenhoso (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · es ingenioso (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · cmn 巧妙 (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · gl enxeñoso (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · grc εὑρετικός (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · de originell (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · de geistreich (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · es ingenioso (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · el δαιμόνιος (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · ca enginyós (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · fi nokkela (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · gd teòma (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · bg изобретателен (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · sa चतुर (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · de findig (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · ro ingenios (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · sv finurlig (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · cmn 热情的 (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · ru нахо́дчивый (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · de findig (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · fi terävä (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · ru оригинальный (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · bg находчив (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · hu találékony (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · ru хитроу́мный (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · el πολυμήχανος (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · grc εὐπάλαμος (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · ar عَبْقَرِيّ (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · hu leleményes (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · de geistsprühend (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · de ideenreich (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · gd seòlta (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · yue 巧妙 (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · scn strummintusu (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · cs důmyslný (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · pl pomysłowy (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · ru замысловатый (witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious) · eo genia (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived) · da opfindsomt (displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent) · ro genial (characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived)