inventive

English

Etymology

From Middle English inventif, inventyfe, inventiff, inventyf, borrowed from Old French inventif, borrowed from Medieval Latin inventivus. By surface analysis, invent +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĭn-vĕnʹtĭv, IPA^(key): /ɪnˈvɛntɪv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛntɪv
• Hyphenation: in‧ven‧tive

Adjective

inventive (comparative more inventive, superlative most inventive)

1. Of, or relating to invention; pertaining to the act of devising new mechanisms or processes.

   an inventive pursuit

   • 2013 November 6, Chris Bevan, “Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport:

     At the other end, Dortmund were producing some typically inventive approach play but struggled to find a way through the visitors' defence, and were unable to find a finish when they did.

2. Possessed of a particular capacity for the design of new mechanisms or processes, creative or skilful at inventing.

   an inventive fellow

3. Purposely fictive.

   an inventive story

Derived terms

• inventively
• inventiveness
• reinventive
• uninventive

Translations

of, or relating to invention

Catalan: inventiu (ca) French: inventif (fr) Italian: inventivo (it) Portuguese: inventivo (pt) Romanian: de invenție, invențial

creative, or skilful at inventing

Armenian: please add this translation if you can Belarusian: вынахо́длівы (vynaxódlivy) Bulgarian: изобрета́телен (bg) (izobretátelen), нахо́дчив (bg) (nahódčiv) Catalan: enginyós (ca), inventiu (ca) Czech: vynalézavý Dutch: vindingrijk (nl) Finnish: kekseliäs (fi), luova (fi) French: inventif (fr) Greek: εφευρετικός (el) (efevretikós) Ancient: εὑρετικός (heuretikós) Hungarian: inventív (hu), invenciózus (hu), leleményes (hu), ötletes (hu), ötletgazdag (hu), találékony (hu) Irish: airgtheach Italian: inventivo (it) Polish: wynalazczy, pomysłowy (pl) Portuguese: inventivo (pt), engenhoso (pt) Romanian: inventiv (ro) Russian: изобрета́тельный (ru) (izobretátelʹnyj), нахо́дчивый (ru) (naxódčivyj) Spanish: inventivo (es) Swedish: uppfinningsrik (sv) Ukrainian: винахі́дливий (vynaxídlyvyj), вига́дливий (vyhádlyvyj) Welsh: dyfeisgar (cy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Spanish: (please verify) inventivo (es)