Meaning & use
innovative
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Using or introducing new ideas, methods, or designs in an original way that brings improvement.
Grammar: Comparable: more/most innovative; can describe people, methods, or products.
Patterns
- an innovative approach
- highly innovative
- innovative in doing something
The startup developed an innovative way to recycle plastic.
She is known for her innovative teaching methods.
The company stays competitive by being highly innovative.
Word forms
| comparative | more innovative |
|---|---|
| superlative | most innovative |
Common combinations
- innovative approach
- The team took an innovative approach to reducing waste.
- innovative design
- The lamp won a prize for its innovative design.
- highly innovative
- The software is highly innovative and easy to use.
- innovative solution
- Engineers found an innovative solution to the water shortage.
- innovative technology
- The hospital invested in innovative technology for early diagnosis.
Synonyms and how they differ
- creative
- Broader; creative covers artistic imagination, while innovative stresses practical newness that works.
- original
- Original ideas are new and not copied, but may simply be unusual; innovative ones introduce useful change.
- inventive
- Very close in meaning; inventive emphasizes clever skill at solving problems.
- groundbreaking
- Stronger than innovative; means completely new and changing how things are done.
Opposites
Word family
- innovate verb
- To introduce new ideas or methods.
- innovation noun
- A new idea, method, or product; the act of innovating.
- innovator noun
- A person who introduces new ideas or products.
- innovatively adverb
- In an innovative way.
Commonly confused: innovative or innovation?
innovative vs innovation
Innovation is the noun for a new idea or product; innovative is the adjective used to describe it.
Practice
The engineers designed an ___ system for collecting rainwater.
Choose one answer.
The blank modifies the noun 'system,' so the adjective 'innovative' is needed; 'innovation' is a noun, 'innovate' a verb, and 'innovator' a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “innovative”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.