If something or someone is ingenious, they are very clever and original at solving problems or creating new things. It often describes smart and inventive ideas or designs.
It comes from Latin “ingeniosus,” meaning “clever” or “full of talent,” from “ingenium” (natural character, talent). The word originally focused on inborn ability rather than learned skill.
Ingenious solutions often look simple *after* you see them, but they required a leap of creativity to invent. The word is close to “engineer” and “genius,” all circling around the idea of built-in talent for making things work. It’s a reminder that intelligence isn’t just knowing facts—it’s using them in surprising ways.
Praise for ‘ingenious’ work has historically skewed toward male inventors and scientists, overlooking women’s innovations, especially in domestic, textile, and computational domains. Gender bias influenced who was recognized as capable of ingenuity.
Apply ‘ingenious’ to contributions from all genders and across domains, including care, organization, and community problem-solving, not only stereotypically male fields.
["inventive","clever","resourceful"]
Recognize women’s ingenious contributions in areas like programming, medicine, and everyday problem-solving that have often gone uncredited.
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