inventive

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English inventif, inventyfe, inventiff, inventyf, borrowed from Old French inventif, borrowed from Medieval Latin inventivus. By surface analysis, invent +‎ -ive.

Pronunciation edit

enPR: ĭn-vĕnʹtĭv, IPA^(key): /ɪnˈvɛntɪv/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛntɪv
Hyphenation: in‧ven‧tive

Adjective edit

inventive (comparative more inventive, superlative most inventive)

Of, or relating to invention; pertaining to the act of devising new mechanisms or processes.
an inventive pursuit
- 2013 November 6, Chris Bevan, “Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport:
  At the other end, Dortmund were producing some typically inventive approach play but struggled to find a way through the visitors' defence, and were unable to find a finish when they did.
Possessed of a particular capacity for the design of new mechanisms or processes, creative or skilful at inventing.
an inventive fellow
Purposely fictive.
an inventive story

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

of, or relating to invention

Catalan: inventiu (ca)
French: inventif (fr)
Italian: inventivo (it)
Portuguese: inventivo (pt)
Romanian: de invenție, invențial

creative, or skilful at inventing

Armenian: please add this translation if you can
Belarusian: вынахо́длівы (vynaxódlivy)
Bulgarian: изобрета́телен (bg) (izobretátelen), нахо́дчив (bg) (nahódčiv)
Catalan: enginyós (ca), inventiu (ca)
Czech: vynalézavý
Dutch: vindingrijk (nl)
Finnish: kekseliäs (fi), luova (fi)
French: inventif (fr)
Greek: εφευρετικός (el) (efevretikós)
Ancient: εὑρετικός (heuretikós)
Hungarian: inventív (hu), invenciózus (hu), leleményes (hu), ötletes (hu), ötletgazdag (hu), találékony (hu)
Irish: airgtheach
Italian: inventivo (it)
Polish: wynalazczy, pomysłowy (pl)
Portuguese: inventivo (pt), engenhoso (pt)
Romanian: inventiv (ro)
Russian: изобрета́тельный (ru) (izobretátelʹnyj), нахо́дчивый (ru) (naxódčivyj)
Spanish: inventivo (es)
Swedish: uppfinningsrik (sv)
Ukrainian: винахі́дливий (vynaxídlyvyj), вига́дливий (vyhádlyvyj)
Welsh: dyfeisgar (cy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked