ingenious

Definitions

in- (in) + gen (born) + -ous = 'having inborn talent.' Ingenious describes cleverness that seems natural and effortless — an ingenious solution, an ingenious device. The same Latin ingenium ('inborn skill') is the source of engine and engineer.

Why It Means This

Note the trap: ingenious (clever, inventive) and ingenuous (innocent, frank, naive) look almost identical but mean different things — and confusingly both come from gen. Ingenious = inborn cleverness; ingenuous = of free/honest birth, hence open and unguarded. If someone is brilliant, they're ingenious; if they're trustingly naive, they're ingenuous.

Common Collocations

• 1.ingenious design巧妙的设计
• 2.ingenious solution巧妙的方案
• 3.ingenious plan精妙的计划
• 4.ingenious device精巧的装置

Example Sentences

• 1.

  She came up with an ingenious way to save water.

• 2.

  The puzzle box has an ingenious hidden mechanism.

• 3.

  It was an ingenious solution to a tricky problem.

Easily Confused

ingenious vs ingenuous — a classic trap. ingenious = clever, inventive (an ingenious gadget). ingenuous = innocent, frank, naive (an ingenuous smile). The extra letters spell the difference; if you mean 'smart,' it's ingenious.