What does "ingenuity" mean?

The ability to solve difficult problems in original, clever, and inventive ways; ingeniousness.

What is a synonym for "ingenuity"?

Common synonyms include: inventiveness, ability, acuteness, address, adeptness, adroitness.

Pronounced //ˌɪnd͡ʒəˈn(j)uːəti//.

//ˌɪnd͡ʒəˈn(j)uːəti// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
The ability to solve difficult problems in original, clever, and inventive ways; ingeniousness. uncountable, usually
"The pyramids demonstrate the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians."
2
the property of being ingenious wordnet
3
An ingenuous action or thought. uncountable, usually
"Virility is sustained, preserved, even recaptured, by man's ingenuities, by exotic foods and drinks, by rare herbal compounds, by fantastical manipulations, goetic periapts."
4
the power of creative imagination wordnet
5
Ingenuousness; honesty, straightforwardness archaic, uncountable, usually
"And therefore I apply my selfe to ingenuitie, and ever to speake truth and what I think[…]."

"The talented finance minister's ingenuity has helped his bankrupt nation to get out of the red."

From Latin ingenuitās.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.