inventive

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĭn-vĕnʹtĭv, IPA^(key): /ɪnˈvɛntɪv/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛntɪv
• Hyphenation: in‧ven‧tive

Adjective

inventive (comparative more inventive, superlative most inventive)

1. 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.

2. Possessed of a particular capacity for the design of new mechanisms or processes, creative or skilful at inventing.

   an inventive fellow

3. Purposely fictive.

   an inventive story

Derived terms

• inventively
• inventiveness

Translations

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

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} inventivo (es)

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.vɑ̃.tiːv/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

inventive

1. feminine singular of inventif

Italian

Adjective

inventive

1. feminine plural of inventivo

Noun

inventive f pl

1. plural of inventiva