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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

in·gen·ious

Audio Help [in-jeen-yuh

–adjective

1.	characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction: an ingenious machine.

2.	cleverly inventive or resourceful: an ingenious press agent.

Obsolete.

a.	intelligent; showing genius.

b.	ingenuous.

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < L ingeniōsus, equiv. to ingeni(um) natural disposition, cleverness (in- in-² + gen- (base of gignere to bring into being; cf. genitor) + -ium -ium) + -ōsus -ous

]

—Related forms

in·gen·ious·ly, adverb

in·gen·ious·ness, noun

—Synonyms 2. bright, gifted, able, resourceful; adroit.

—Antonyms 2. unskillful.

—Usage note Ingenious and ingenuous are now distinct from each other and are not synonyms. Ingenious means “characterized by cleverness” or “cleverly inventive,” as in contriving new explanations or methods: an ingenious device; ingenious designers. Ingenuous means “candid” or “innocent”: an ingenuous and sincere statement; a thug with the ingenuous eyes of a choirboy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Ingenious

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

in·gen·ious Audio Help (ĭn-jēn'yəs) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Marked by inventive skill and imagination.
Having or arising from an inventive or cunning mind; clever: an ingenious scheme. See Synonyms at clever.
Obsolete Having genius; brilliant.

[Middle English, from Old French ingenios, from Latin ingeniōsus, from ingenium, inborn talent; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]

in·gen'ious·ly adv., in·gen'ious·ness n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ingenious

1483, "intellectual, talented," from M.Fr. ingénieux "clever, ingenious" (O.Fr. engeignos), from L. ingeniosus "of good capacity, gifted with genius," from ingenium "innate qualities, ability," lit. "that which is inborn," from in- "in" + gignere, from PIE *gen- "produce." Sense of "skillful, clever" first recorded 1548.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

ingenious
adjective
showing inventiveness and skill; "a clever gadget"; "the cunning maneuvers leading to his success"; "an ingenious solution to the problem" [syn: clever]

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
ingenious1 [inˈdʒiːnjəs] adjective

(of a person or his personality etc) clever at inventing
Example: He was ingenious at making up new games for the children.

Arabic:	بارِع، واسِع الحيلَه
Chinese (Simplified):	有独创性的
Chinese (Traditional):	有獨創性的
Czech:	vynalézavý
Danish:	opfindsom
Dutch:	vindingrijk
Estonian:	leidlik
Finnish:	kekseliäs
French:	ingénieux
German:	erfinderisch
Greek:	πολυμήχανος, εφευρετικός
Hungarian:	találékony, leleményes
Icelandic:	snjall, hugvitssamur
Indonesian:	pintar, banyak akal
Italian:	ingegnoso

Japanese:	巧みな
Korean:	발명의 재능이 있는
Latvian:	atjautīgs
Lithuanian:	išradingas
Norwegian:	sinnrik, oppfinnsom
Polish:	pomysłowy
Portuguese (Brazil):	engenhoso
Portuguese (Portugal):	engenhoso
Romanian:	ingenios
Russian:	изобретательный
Slovak:	vynaliezavý
Slovenian:	iznajdljiv
Spanish:	ingenioso
Swedish:	fyndig, påhittig
Turkish:	yaratıcı, zeki

ingenious2 [inˈdʒiːnjəs] adjective

(of an object or idea) cleverly made or thought out
Example: an ingenious plan/machine

Arabic:	دالٌ على نُبوغ
Chinese (Simplified):	精巧制成的
Chinese (Traditional):	精巧製成的
Czech:	důmyslný
Danish:	genial
Dutch:	ingenieus
Estonian:	teravmeelne
Finnish:	nerokas
French:	ingénieux
German:	raffiniert
Greek:	ευφυής, μεγαλοφυής (π.χ. για ιδέα)
Hungarian:	szellemes
Icelandic:	sniðugur, hugvitssamlegur
Indonesian:	cerdik
Italian:	ingegnoso

Japanese:	精巧な
Korean:	정교한
Latvian:	asprātīgs; meistarisks
Lithuanian:	išradingas
Norwegian:	genial, kunstferdig
Polish:	zmyślny
Portuguese (Brazil):	engenhoso
Portuguese (Portugal):	engenhoso
Romanian:	ingenios
Russian:	остроумный
Slovak:	dômyselný
Slovenian:	domiseln
Spanish:	ingenioso
Swedish:	genialisk
Turkish:	deha ürünü

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ingenious

En"gine\, n. [F. engin skill, machine, engine, L. ingenium natural capacity, invention; in in + the root of gignere to produce. See Genius, and cf. Ingenious, Gin a snare.]

1. (Pronounced, in this sense, ????.) Natural capacity; ability; skill. [Obs.]

A man hath sapiences three, Memory, engine, and intellect also. --Chaucer.

2. Anything used to effect a purpose; any device or contrivance; an agent. --Shak.

You see the ways the fisherman doth take To catch the fish; what engines doth he make? --Bunyan.

Their promises, enticements, oaths, tokens, and all these engines of lust. --Shak.

3. Any instrument by which any effect is produced; especially, an instrument or machine of war or torture. "Terrible engines of death." --Sir W. Raleigh.

4. (Mach.) A compound machine by which any physical power is applied to produce a given physical effect.

Engine driver, one who manages an engine; specifically, the engineer of a locomotive.

Engine lathe. (Mach.) See under Lathe.

Engine tool, a machine tool. --J. Whitworth.

Engine turning (Fine Arts), a method of ornamentation by means of a rose engine.

Note: The term engine is more commonly applied to massive machines, or to those giving power, or which produce some difficult result. Engines, as motors, are distinguished according to the source of power, as steam engine, air engine, electro-magnetic engine; or the purpose on account of which the power is applied, as fire engine, pumping engine, locomotive engine; or some peculiarity of construction or operation, as single-acting or double-acting engine, high-pressure or low-pressure engine, condensing engine, etc.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ingenious

En"gi*nous\, a. [OF. engignos. See Ingenious.]

1. Pertaining to an engine. [Obs.]

That one act gives, like an enginous wheel, Motion to all. --Decker.

2. Contrived with care; ingenious. [Obs.]

The mark of all enginous drifts. --B. Jonson.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ingenious

In*ge"ni*ate\, v. t. & i. [See Ingenious.] To invent; to contrive. [Obs.] --Daniel.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ingenious

In*gen"ious\, a. [L. ingeniosus, fr. ingenium innate or natural quality, natural capacity, genius: cf. F. ing['e]nieux. See Engine.]

1. Possessed of genius, or the faculty of invention; skillful or promp to invent; having an aptitude to contrive, or to form new combinations; as, an ingenious author, mechanic.

A man . . . very wise and ingenious in feats of war. --Hakluyt.

Thou, king, send out For torturers ingenious. --Shak.

The more ingenious men are, the more apt are they to trouble themselves. --Sir W. Temple.

2. Proseeding from, pertaining to, or characterized by, genius or ingenuity; of curious design, structure, or mechanism; as, an ingenious model, or machine; an ingenious scheme, contrivance, etc.

Thus men go wrong with an ingenious skill. --Cowper.

3. Witty; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious; as, an ingenious reply.

4. Mental; intellectual. [Obs.]

A course of learning and ingenious studies. --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ingenious

In*gen"u*ous\, a. [L. ingenuus inborn, innate, freeborn, noble, frank; pref. in- in + the root of gignere to beget. See Genius, and cf. Ingenious.]

1. Of honorable extraction; freeborn; noble; as, ingenuous blood of birth.

2. Noble; generous; magnanimous; honorable; upright; high-minded; as, an ingenuous ardor or zeal.

If an ingenuous detestation of falsehood be but carefully and early instilled, that is the true and genuine method to obviate dishonesty. --Locke.

3. Free from reserve, disguise, equivocation, or dissimulation; open; frank; as, an ingenuous man; an ingenuous declaration, confession, etc.

Sensible in myself . . . what a burden it is for me, who would be ingenuous, to be loaded with courtesies which he hath not the least hope to requite or deserve. --Fuller.

4. Ingenious. [Obs.] --Shak.

Note: (Formerly) printers did not discriminate between . . . ingenuous and ingenious, and these words were used or rather printed interchangeably almost to the beginning of the eighteenth century. --G. P. Marsh.

Syn: Open; frank; unreserved; artless; plain; sincere; candid; fair; noble; generous.

Usage: Ingenuous, Open, Frank. One who is open speaks out at once what is uppermost in his mind; one who is frank does it from a natural boldness, or dislike of self-restraint; one who is ingenuous is actuated by a native simplicity and artlessness, which make him willing to confess faults, and make known his sentiments without reserve. See Candid.

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