innovative

adjective

in·​no·​va·​tive ˈi-nə-ˌvā-tiv How to pronounce innovative (audio)
Synonyms of innovative
: characterized by, tending to, or introducing innovations
innovatively adverb
innovativeness noun

Synonyms of innovative

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of innovative in a Sentence

an innovative approach to the problem a creative and innovative young designer
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
China has showcased what may be one of its most innovative unmanned warfare concepts yet, according to reports. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 Relax by day and sleep comfortably by night with Cordaroys' innovative convertible bean bag chairs. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 The odds are high that leveraging this innovative technique would be enormously significant. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 This guide offers both traditional and innovative recipes, perfect for fans of farfalle, gnocchi enthusiasts, or noodle soup lovers. — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for innovative

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of innovative was in 1806

Rhymes for innovative

See All Rhymes for innovative

Browse Nearby Words

innovational
innovative
innovator
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Innovative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovative. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on innovative

Nglish: Translation of innovative for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All