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ingenious

Syllabification: (in·gen·ious)
Pronunciation: /inˈjēnyəs/
Translate ingenious | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of ingenious

adjective

  • (of a person) clever, original, and inventive:he was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget
  • (of a machine or idea) cleverly and originally devised and well suited to its purpose.

Derivatives

ingeniously

adverb

ingeniousness

noun

Origin:

late Middle English: from French ingénieux or Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium 'mind, intellect'; compare with engine

Ingenious and ingenuous are often confused. Ingenious means ‘clever, skillful, resourceful’ (an ingenious device), while ingenuous means ‘artless, frank’ (charmed by the ingenuous honesty of the child).

ingenious in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ingenious in the British & World English dictionary
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