ingenuity
/ˌɪnd͡ʒəˈn(j)uːəti/ noun
Forms ingenuities
- noun The ability to solve difficult problems in original, clever, and inventive ways; ingeniousness. “The pyramids demonstrate the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians.”
- noun An ingenuous action or thought.
- noun (now rare) Ingenuousness; honesty, straightforwardness
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin ingenuitās. Compare genius.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The quality or power of ready invention; quickness or acuteness in forming new combinations; ingeniousness; skill in devising or combining.
- noun Curiousness, or cleverness in design or contrivance; as, the ingenuity of a plan, or of mechanism.
Etymology [L. ingenuitas ingenuousness: cf. F. ingénuité. See Ingenuous.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ingenuity”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details