adj
Meaning 1
Ingenious, brilliant, very clever, or original.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Examples
- What a genius idea!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
genius
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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jēniəs
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jēnyəs
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒiː.ni.əs/
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General-American: /ˈd͡ʒin.jəs/
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General-American: /ˈd͡ʒi.ni.əs/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -iːniəs
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rhymes with -iːnjəs
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CMU ARPABET: JH IY1 N Y AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Examples
- She's a genius; she won a Nobel Prize at fifteen!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: idiot
noun
Meaning 3
Extraordinary mental capacity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Inspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
- a work of genius
- to add a dash of cinnamon amid such umami was pure genius
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
The tutelary deity or spirit of a place or person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Roman, also, countable, figuratively
Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences
Examples
- and the genius of the place: the growing enthusiasm for codified standards in the Army and Navy
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tutelary deity, spirit, liqueur, liquor, apparition, specter, vision
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
unusual mental ability
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: brilliance
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: intelligence
Narrower terms: coruscation, pyrotechnics, scintillation
noun
Meaning 7
a natural talent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he has a flair for mathematics
- he has a genius for interior decorating
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flair
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: endowment, gift, talent, natural endowment
noun
Meaning 8
exceptional creative ability
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: wizardry
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: creativity, creativeness, creative thinking
noun
Meaning 9
someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ace, adept, champion, sensation, maven, mavin, virtuoso, hotshot, star, superstar, whiz, whizz, wizard, wiz
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: expert
Narrower terms: track star
noun
Meaning 10
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Mozart was a child genius
- he's smart but he's no Einstein
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mastermind, brain, brainiac, Einstein
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: intellectual, intellect
Narrower terms: prodigy
History
Etymology
From Latin genius (“inborn nature; a tutelary deity of a person or place; wit, brilliance”), from gignō (“to beget, produce”), Old Latin genō, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh1-. Doublet of genio. See also genus and genie.
Across languages
Translations
138 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: عَبْقَرِيّ (ʕabqariyy) — very clever
- Belarusian: генія́льны (hjenijálʹny) — very clever
- Bulgarian: гениален (genialen) — very clever
- Dutch: geniaal — very clever
- Polish: genialny — very clever
- Russian: гениа́льный (geniálʹnyj) — very clever
- Turkish: dâhice — very clever
- Ukrainian: геніа́льний (heniálʹnyj) — very clever
- Afrikaans: genie — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Albanian: gjeni — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Arabic: عَبْقَرِيّ (ʕabqariyy) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Arabic: نَابِغَة (nābiḡa) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Armenian: հանճար (hančar) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Azerbaijani: dahi — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Basque: jeinu — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Belarusian: ге́ній (hjénij) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Bulgarian: ге́ний (génij) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Catalan: geni — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Chinese Mandarin: 人才 (réncái) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Chinese Mandarin: 天才 (tiāncái) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Czech: génius — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Dutch: genie — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Esperanto: geniulo — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Estonian: geenius — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Estonian: suurvaim — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Finnish: nero — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- French: génie — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Galician: xenio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Georgian: გენიოსი (geniosi) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Georgian: გენია (genia) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Georgian: ნიჭიერი ადამიანი (nič̣ieri adamiani) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- German: Genie — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Greek: μεγαλοφυία (megalofyía) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Greek: ιδιοφυία (idiofyía) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hawaiian: akamai — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hebrew: גָּאוֹן (ga'ón) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hindi: प्रतिभाशाली (pratibhāśālī) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hindi: प्रतिभावान (pratibhāvān) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hungarian: géniusz — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hungarian: zseni — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hungarian: lángész — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Hungarian: lángelme — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Icelandic: snilld — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Icelandic: snillingur — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Ido: genio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Indonesian: genius — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Indonesian: jenius — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Irish: duine ardéirime — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Japanese: 天才 (tensai) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Kazakh: кемеңгер (kemeñger) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Kazakh: данышпан (danyşpan) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Khmer: ទេពកោសល្យ (teip kaosɑl) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Korean: 천재 (cheonjae) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Central Kurdish: بلیمەت (blîmet) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Ladino: djenio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Latvian: ģēnijs — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Lithuanian: genijus — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Macedonian: гениј (genij) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Macedonian: генија́лец (genijálec) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Malay: pintar — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Malayalam: പ്രതിഭ (pratibha) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Manx: ardcheeayllagh — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Iranian Persian: نابِغِه (nâbeġe) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Iranian Persian: ژِنی (ženi) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Polish: geniusz — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Portuguese: génio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Portuguese: gênio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Portuguese: crânio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Romanian: geniu — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Russian: ге́ний (génij) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Serbo-Croatian: ге̑нӣј — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Serbo-Croatian: gȇnīj — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Slovak: génius — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Slovene: genij — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Spanish: genio — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Spanish: genia — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Spanish: portento — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Swedish: geni — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Tagalog: henyo — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Thai: อัจฉริยบุคคล (àt-chà-rí-yá-bùk-kon) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Turkish: dâhi — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Ukrainian: ге́ній (hénij) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Uzbek: geniy — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Uzbek: daho — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Vietnamese: thiên tài — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Welsh: athrylith — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Yiddish: גאון (goen) — someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
- Arabic: عَبْقَرِيَّة (ʕabqariyya) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Armenian: հանճար (hančar) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Armenian: հանճարեղություն (hančareġutʻyun) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Azerbaijani: düha — extraordinary mental capacity
- Belarusian: генія́льнасць (hjenijálʹnascʹ) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Belarusian: генія́льнасьць (hjenijálʹnasʹcʹ) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Bulgarian: гениалност (genialnost) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Catalan: geni — extraordinary mental capacity
- Chinese Mandarin: 天才 (tiāncái) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Czech: genialita — extraordinary mental capacity
- Danish: geni — extraordinary mental capacity
- Dutch: genialiteit — extraordinary mental capacity
- Esperanto: genio — extraordinary mental capacity
- Estonian: geniaalsus — extraordinary mental capacity
- Finnish: nerous — extraordinary mental capacity
- Finnish: nerokkuus — extraordinary mental capacity
- Finnish: nerollisuus — extraordinary mental capacity
- Galician: xenio — extraordinary mental capacity
- Georgian: ნიჭიერება (nič̣iereba) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Georgian: გენიალურობა (genialuroba) — extraordinary mental capacity
- German: Genialität — extraordinary mental capacity
- Greek: μεγαλοφυία (megalofyía) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Hungarian: zsenialitás — extraordinary mental capacity
- Irish: ardéirim — extraordinary mental capacity
- Kyrgyz: гениалдуулук (genialduuluk) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Ladino: djenio — extraordinary mental capacity
- Latvian: apdāvinātība — extraordinary mental capacity
- Latvian: ģenialitāte — extraordinary mental capacity
- Macedonian: генија́лност (genijálnost) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Macedonian: гениј (genij) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Manx: ardcheeayll — extraordinary mental capacity
- Iranian Persian: نُبوغ (nobuġ) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Iranian Persian: ژِنی (ženi) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Polish: geniusz — extraordinary mental capacity
- Portuguese: genialidade — extraordinary mental capacity
- Romanian: genialitate — extraordinary mental capacity
- Russian: гениа́льность (geniálʹnostʹ) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Russian: одарённость (odarjónnostʹ) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Slovak: génius — extraordinary mental capacity
- Slovene: genialnost — extraordinary mental capacity
- Spanish: genio — extraordinary mental capacity
- Tagalog: henyo — extraordinary mental capacity
- Turkish: deha — extraordinary mental capacity
- Ukrainian: геніа́льність (heniálʹnistʹ) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Ukrainian: ге́ній (hénij) — extraordinary mental capacity
- Uzbek: geniallik — extraordinary mental capacity
- Vietnamese: thiên tài — extraordinary mental capacity
- Welsh: athrylith — extraordinary mental capacity
- Welsh: dawn arbennig — extraordinary mental capacity
- Finnish: neronleimaus — inspiration, mental leap, extraordinary creative process
- Georgian: გენიალურობა (genialuroba) — inspiration, mental leap, extraordinary creative process
Real reading context