1
as in creativity
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others
the artist's fertile inventiveness allows her to put on canvas landscapes that have never been trod by mortal feet
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in creativeness
the skill and imagination to create new things
the contention that, in order to prosper, cities must attract young, well-educated people of great inventiveness in both the arts and high technology
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Recent Examples of inventiveness
That inventiveness led to some spectacular goals, but also inherent risk-taking.
—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Also predictably, Russian media are praising the remarkable inventiveness of their forces, while ignoring the disastrous results.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
These grander moments of inventiveness don’t stop City from finding joy and absurdity in smaller and seemingly inconsequential stories either.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
The Innovation Award honors exceptional distinctiveness, inventiveness and impact in expanding the conventions of program format, content, audience interaction, production technique and delivery.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 9 Dec. 2025
With its abundance of concrete, startling interior views, and play of deep shadows, the design invokes the ornery inventiveness of Kahn and Paul Rudolph, combined with the corporate sleekness of MoMA’s most recent iterations by Yoshio Taniguchi and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2025
The 50-year-old former longtime creative director at Moschino is known for his inventiveness and bold riffs on Americana and pop culture.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
For example, they were asked to find a creative use for an everyday object, then their responses were ranked on inventiveness.
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 28 Oct. 2025
Bennett is a writer of great linguistic inventiveness; her previous books, the short-story collection Pond and the novel Checkout 19, use surprising wordplay to evoke their narrators’ unique ways of interacting with the world.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Also predictably, Russian media are praising the remarkable inventiveness of their forces, while ignoring the disastrous results.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
These grander moments of inventiveness don’t stop City from finding joy and absurdity in smaller and seemingly inconsequential stories either.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
The Innovation Award honors exceptional distinctiveness, inventiveness and impact in expanding the conventions of program format, content, audience interaction, production technique and delivery.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 9 Dec. 2025
With its abundance of concrete, startling interior views, and play of deep shadows, the design invokes the ornery inventiveness of Kahn and Paul Rudolph, combined with the corporate sleekness of MoMA’s most recent iterations by Yoshio Taniguchi and Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2025
The 50-year-old former longtime creative director at Moschino is known for his inventiveness and bold riffs on Americana and pop culture.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
For example, they were asked to find a creative use for an everyday object, then their responses were ranked on inventiveness.
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 28 Oct. 2025
Bennett is a writer of great linguistic inventiveness; her previous books, the short-story collection Pond and the novel Checkout 19, use surprising wordplay to evoke their narrators’ unique ways of interacting with the world.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inventiveness
Noun
-
At the same time, the report highlights growing concern about the impact of AI on timelines and perceptions of creativity.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
In the heart of Berlin, Museum Island unfolds as a grand cultural ensemble where five world-class institutions trace the arc of human creativity from antiquity to the 19th century.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But without freedom, Berdyaev writes, creativeness is impossible.—
Andrew McDiarmid,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Now, for the first time, an experiment hints that an ape in captivity can have an imagination.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
When Luckman arrived in Chicago, the Bears playbook had hundreds of designs from the T Formation, with hundreds of variations in the playbook and seemingly hundreds more in the imagination.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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With a snowblower, no fear and some ingenuity, a young Birk and Svea Irving were determined to catch air and stomp tricks in the small backyard of their Winter Park home.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Murray, meanwhile, is someone high-major teams — like NC State last summer — have been looking at already, especially for his offensive ingenuity.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There's also a palpable new seam of imaginativeness among residents.—
Toby Skinner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
For all the talent on Seattle’s defense, a single superstar didn’t dominate the game.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Her hard work and talent were recently recognized on a statewide level, as she was named a Fastpitch All-Stater.—
Darla Rivera,
Oklahoman,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inventiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inventiveness. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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