Ingenuity is skill at working out how to achieve things or skill at inventing new things.
Inspecting the nest may require some ingenuity.
Synonyms: originality, genius, inventiveness, skill More Synonyms of ingenuity
ingenuity in British English
(ˌɪndʒɪˈnjuːɪtɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-ties
1.
inventive talent; cleverness
2.
an ingenious device, act, etc
3. archaic
frankness; candour
Word origin
C16: from Latin ingenuitās a freeborn condition, outlook consistent with such a condition, from ingenuus native, freeborn (see ingenuous); meaning influenced by ingenious
ingenuity in American English
(ˌɪndʒəˈnuəti; ˌɪndʒəˈnjuəti)
noun
1. Obsolete
the quality of being ingenuous
2.
the quality of being ingenious; cleverness, originality, skill, etc.
3. Word forms: pluralˌingeˈnuities
an ingenious device
Word origin
L ingenuitas < ingenuus (see ingenuous): sense ingenuity (sense 1) infl. by assoc. with ingenious
Examples of 'ingenuity' in a sentence
ingenuity
The designers wanted to show off their ingenuity and flair.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It shows we are a proud nation, independent and flourishing through our own ingenuity and skills.
The Sun (2016)
At first this patchwork appeared too disjointed, yet Brand soon showed ingenuity in bending his themes to different purposes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The heist itself lacks the giddy ingenuity that a great caper movie requires.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Show ingenuity and enterprise in your work.
Lumsden, Robert 23 Steps to Successful Achievement (1972)
To oppose it required luck and ingenuity.
Andy Dougan THE HUNTING OF MAN (2004)
The whole operation was an astounding mixture of courage and ingenuity.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Who indeed will set bounds to human ingenuity?
Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginningto 1715 (1995)
Great ingenuity was used in the pursuit of fun.
Patrick Bishop FIGHTER BOYS: Saving Britain 1940 (2003)
The only difference seems to be that misleading requires more ingenuity.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
That will require as much ingenuity and courage as cutting the deficit.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But the aerial aspects of other segments were managed with great ingenuity.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
Simply getting around the island often requires great ingenuity or favours from friends.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The technique is a tribute to human ingenuity.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Only human ingenuity can slow it down.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It needs skill and ingenuity to bring them together and cannot be left to a dialogue of the deaf.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Today the towns are largely deserted except for a few thousand men who have defended them with ingenuity and courage.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The uninhabited ones require more ingenuity.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Showing ingenuity, some who are without partners seem happy to make do with wooden chairs.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
For all its bursts of ingenuity, this show has worn thin long before its closing number.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
That kind of ingenuity made Britain great and will keep on making it better.
The Sun (2008)
It is a story of logistics, ingenuity and courage on an epic scale.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Dog racing is a symbol of human civilisation, the application of ingenuity and skill to the breeding and training of animals.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
A move of great tactical ingenuity.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Opponents have shown their ingenuity by buying up a field on the site of the proposed runway and dividing it into more than 20,000 lots.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Its combination of superlative pilot and navigational skills and scientific ingenuity have earned it an indelible place in the annals of the RAF.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
If bowlers have reached their limits of speed, skill and ingenuity and batsmen have not, the effects on the game are clear.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
ingenuity
British English: ingenuity NOUN
Ingenuity is skill at working out how to achieve things or skill at inventing new things.
Inspecting the nest may require some ingenuity.
American English: ingenuity
Brazilian Portuguese: engenho
Chinese: 善于创新
European Spanish: ingenio
French: ingéniosité
German: Einfallsreichtum
Italian: ingegnosità
Japanese: 発明の才
Korean: 독창성
European Portuguese: engenho
Latin American Spanish: ingenio
(noun)
Definition
cleverness at inventing things
This task is difficult and may require some ingenuity.
Synonyms
originality
the startling originality of his writing
genius
This is the mark of her genius as a designer.
inventiveness
He has surprised us before with his inventiveness.
skill
The cut of a diamond depends on the skill of its craftsman.
gift
As a youth he discovered a gift for teaching.
faculty
a faculty for self-preservation
flair
She has a flair for languages.
knack
He's got the knack of getting people to listen.
sharpness
cleverness
The artist demonstrates a cleverness with colours and textures.
resourcefulness
shrewdness
His natural shrewdness tells him what is needed to succeed.
adroitness
He governed with an adroitness that earned him the nickname `old fox'.
ingeniousness
Opposites
incompetence
,
ineptitude
,
dullness
,
clumsiness
,
ineptness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of adroitness
He governed with an adroitness that earned him the nickname `old fox'.
Synonyms
skill,
ability,
craft,
expertise,
cunning,
mastery,
knack,
ingenuity,
proficiency,
dexterity,
cleverness,
deftness,
nimbleness,
aptness,
artfulness,
adeptness,
quick-wittedness,
ingeniousness,
masterfulness,
ableness,
skilfulness,
address
in the sense of cleverness
The artist demonstrates a cleverness with colours and textures.