Ingenious: meaning, example and synonyms
Ingeniousadj. Clever, original and inventive, especially in solving a problem.
Example
The engineers devised an ingenious system of counterweights that let a single operator raise the drawbridge by turning a small crank.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- inventive, clever, resourceful, innovative
- Antonyms
- unimaginative, clumsy, uninspired, dull
- Memory tip
- Ingenious shares a root with engineer: clever at contriving.
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Check yourself: Ingenious in context
The ______ design of the ancient water clock used a float and a series of gears to keep time with remarkable accuracy long before mechanical clocks appeared.
Answer: ingenious. A clever float-and-gear timekeeper is an ingenious design. Scanty (meager), anterior (front) and extraneous (irrelevant) don't fit this context.
Lacking electricity, the field medics found an especially ______ solution: they powered a refrigerator for vaccines with a bicycle connected to a small generator.
Answer: ingenious. Powering a fridge with a bicycle is an inventive, ingenious fix. Disparate (very different), scanty (meager) and anterior (front) don't fit this context.