Other

ingenious

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs/

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: ingenious devices his theory, while ingenious, is most assuredly incorrect

Derivatives

ingeniously
ingeniousness

Origin:

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

Do not confuse ingenious with ingenuous. Ingenious means 'clever, original, and inventive' (an ingenious idea), whereas ingenuous means 'innocent and unsuspecting' (wide, ingenuous eyes).

ingenious in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ingenious in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

Subscriber login

Library card login

Other

ingenious

adjective

Derivatives

ingeniously

ingeniousness

Origin:

ingenious in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

Word of the day

offing