Words / C1

in-JEEN-ee-uh-s/ɪnˈdʒiːniəs/

Ingenious means cleverly inventive: an ingenious fix, ingenious design. Genius is extraordinary ability — related root. Ingenuous means innocent and frank (disingenuous is already in the dictionary) — the cruel mix-up. Clever is everyday. Do not call a patched-together mess ingenious unless it actually solves the constraint.

Meaning

Clever at inventing things or solving problems in an original way.

Examples

• “An ingenious workaround is not a substitute for a patched system.”
• “An ingenious air-gap stopped the leak; a pile of tape would not have been the word.”
• “Ingenuous is frank/naive; ingenious is clever. Disingenuous is dishonestly pretending.”

Good to know

Cleverly inventive. Mix-up: ingenuous (frank/naive); genius (rare ability). Everyday: clever. The fix must actually work.

Near in meaning

clever

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