invention
noun
in·ven·tion in-ˈven(t)-shən 
1
a
: something invented: such as
(1)
: a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment
(2)
: a product of the imagination
especially : a false conception
b
: a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint
2
: the act or process of inventing
3
: productive imagination : inventiveness
4
: discovery, finding
Did you know?
What is the difference between innovation and invention?
The words innovation and invention overlap semantically but are really quite distinct.
Invention can refer to a type of musical composition, a falsehood, a discovery, or any product of the imagination. The sense of invention most likely to be confused with innovation is “a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment,” usually something which has not previously been in existence.
Innovation, for its part, can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. One might say that the first telephone was an invention, the first cellular telephone either an invention or an innovation, and the first smartphone an innovation.
Synonyms
- brainchild
- coinage
- concoction
- contrivance
- creation
- innovation
- wrinkle
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The light bulb was one of the most important inventions of the 19th century. The stories he told about his military service were just inventions. His explanation was pure invention. Parts of the movie were accurate, but much of it was invention. the invention of a new product the invention of a false story an artist with exceptional powers of invention See More
Recent Examples on the Web In traditional societies, before the invention of writing, the old people were like walking Wikipedias. 
Lucy Feldman, Time, 15 Sep. 2022 The club, which has been in continuous operation since before the invention of airplanes and the game of basketball, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. New York Times, 21 July 2022 Before the invention of modern refrigeration, ice to cool food was collected in the wintertime from lakes and mountaintops and stored in caves, underground cellars and insulated icehouses to last as long as possible through the summers. Camper English, WSJ, 16 July 2022 Before the invention of today's glass mirrors, people from cultures around the world gazed into polished bronze, from ancient Egypt to the Indus Valley. CNN, 12 July 2022 The drive-in movie double feature has been a summer staple since long before the invention of digital projectors and radio broadcast soundtracks. Patricia Harris And David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2022 Before the invention of infant formula, mothers who couldn’t produce enough milk turned to lactating relatives or wet nurses. cleveland, 20 May 2022 After all, what is the purpose of a museum — a thoroughly modern invention — but to function as a mechanism to preserve art objects for an eternity? Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2022 Division of labor—the distribution of talents and capabilities—is essential to invention, growth and flourishing societies. Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 See More
Lucy Feldman, Time, 15 Sep. 2022 The club, which has been in continuous operation since before the invention of airplanes and the game of basketball, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. New York Times, 21 July 2022 Before the invention of modern refrigeration, ice to cool food was collected in the wintertime from lakes and mountaintops and stored in caves, underground cellars and insulated icehouses to last as long as possible through the summers. Camper English, WSJ, 16 July 2022 Before the invention of today's glass mirrors, people from cultures around the world gazed into polished bronze, from ancient Egypt to the Indus Valley. CNN, 12 July 2022 The drive-in movie double feature has been a summer staple since long before the invention of digital projectors and radio broadcast soundtracks. Patricia Harris And David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 2 June 2022 Before the invention of infant formula, mothers who couldn’t produce enough milk turned to lactating relatives or wet nurses. cleveland, 20 May 2022 After all, what is the purpose of a museum — a thoroughly modern invention — but to function as a mechanism to preserve art objects for an eternity? Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2022 Division of labor—the distribution of talents and capabilities—is essential to invention, growth and flourishing societies. Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Phrases Containing invention
Kids Definition
invention
noun
in·ven·tion in-ˈven-shən
1
: an original device or process
2
: lie entry 3
The story was just an invention.
3
: the act or process of inventing
4
: the ability to think of new ideas
He was a man of invention.
Legal Definition
invention
noun
in·ven·tion
: a device, process, or discovery under U.S. patent law that is new and useful, that reflects extraordinary creative ability or skill, and that makes a distinct and recognized contribution to and advancement of science
also : the act or process of creating such an invention compare aggregation, combination, equivalent
invention
noun
1
as in innovation
something (as a device) created for the first time through the use of the imagination his clever invention made people's lives easier Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- innovation
- creation
- product
- device
- contrivance
- conception
- concoction
- work
- design
- coinage
- gadget
- novelty
- contraption
- brainchild
- wrinkle
- gizmo
- dream
- origination
- imagining
- vision
- gismo
- fantasy
- picture
- phantasy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reproduction
- imitation
- copy
- facsimile
- replication
- duplication
- duplicate
- clone
- replica
- carbon copy
- reduplication
- dupe
2
as in fiction
something that is the product of the imagination unsurprisingly, the story about being kidnapped by aliens was pure invention Synonyms & Similar Words
- fiction
- novel
- tale
- story
- fabrication
- fable
- fantasy
- narrative
- anecdote
- phantasy
- figment
- misrepresentation
- prevarication
- lie
- mendacity
- fairy tale
- yarn
- falsehood
- falsity
- untruth
- fib
- make-believe
- whopper
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- fact
- reality
- materiality
- actuality
- realness
3
as in imagination
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others a writer with great invention, she is able to create on the page worlds that don't exist but certainly seem like they could Synonyms & Similar Words
- imagination
- creativity
- imaginativeness
- inventiveness
- fertility
- contrivance
- ideation
- originality
- fantasy
- ingenuity
- phantasy
- fancy
- resourcefulness
- versatility
- inspiration
- brainstorming
- fecundity
- dream
- brainstorm
- pipe dream
- visualization
- illusion
- daydream
- delusion
- chimera
- hallucination
- fantasm
- envisaging
- mirage
- phantasm
- figment
- mind's eye
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- literalness
- literality
4
as in creativity
the skill and imagination to create new things a person of seemingly endless invention, Thomas Edison held a world-record 1,093 patents Synonyms & Similar Words
- imagination
- creativity
- creativeness
- inventiveness
- ingenuity
- innovativeness
- ingeniousness
- talent
- imaginativeness
- originality
- cleverness
- productivity
- productiveness
- resourcefulness
- fertility
- fecundity
- fruitfulness
- capableness
- prolificness
- genius
- prolificacy
- prolificity
- muse
- giftedness
- inspiration
- fire
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dullness
- dryness
- dulness
- depend (on)
- depend on
- depend on or upon
- depend on/upon
- depend upon
- dependabilities
- dependability
- dependable
- dependableness
- dependablenesses
- dependably
- dependance
- dependances
- dependancies
- dependant
- dependants
- depended
- depended (on or upon)
- depended (on)
- depended on
- depended on or upon
- depended upon
- dependence
- dependences
- dependencies