noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
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.
/ˌɪnd͡ʒəˈn(j)uːəti/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N JH AH0 N UW1 AH0 T IY2
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The ability to solve difficult problems in original, clever, and inventive ways; ingeniousness.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
The pyramids demonstrate the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians.
Poverty is the mother of ingenuity.
Ingenuity is one of the characteristics of a beaver.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An ingenuous action or thought.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Ingenuousness; honesty, straightforwardness
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the property of being ingenious
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a plot of great ingenuity
the cleverness of its design
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ingeniousness, cleverness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: superiority, high quality
5
noun
Meaning 5
the power of creative imagination
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.