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Ingenious: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Ingenious adjective. Clever, original and inventive.
How to say it
in-JEE-nee-us/ɪnˈdʒiːnɪəs/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (JEE).
Ingenious in a sentence
She came up with an ingenious way to keep the cat off the keyboard.
The ingenious twist made me go straight back to the first chapter.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- clever
- inventive
- resourceful
- brilliant
Opposite:
- clumsy
- unimaginative
Usage note
Ingenious means clever; ingenuous means innocent and frank. Confusingly, the noun ingenuity belongs to ingenious.
Don’t confuse with ingenuous
ingenuous (adjective): Innocent, trusting and open, sometimes more than is wise.
Where ingenious comes from
From Latin ingenium, natural talent or cleverness.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The _____ twist made me go straight back to the first chapter.
- credulous
- ingenious
- continuous
Show the answer
ingenious: The ingenious twist made me go straight back to the first chapter.