Innovation
n.capable, hopefulprofessional
Meaning 1
A new method, product, or practice that creates useful improvement.
Reach for it when naming applied novelty whose benefit can be explained
The low-cost valve was a valuable innovation in village water systems.
Choose between these
4- everyday
the newly created object or method itself is central
not when An invention is not necessarily adopted or useful enough to count as innovation.
- warm
a major advance crosses a stubborn limit
not when Breakthrough overstates a modest but valuable innovation.
- professional
measurable progress within a field is the claim
not when An advance may refine an existing method without introducing anything new.
- formal
newness itself is under discussion
not when Novelty can be trivial and does not establish useful improvement.
Meaning 2
The work of developing and applying useful new approaches.
Reach for it when discussing an organization's continuing ability to create change
The fund supports innovation in materials that can be repaired locally.
Choose between these
4- everyday
the human generation of original ideas is being praised
not when Creativity need not move ideas into practical use.
- warm
fresh life in an institution or tradition is the outcome
not when Renewal may restore old strengths rather than create new practice.
- professional
experimentation
systematic testing of new possibilities is the activity
not when Experimentation can produce no adopted innovation.
- formal
systems are being brought to current standards
not when Modernization can follow known solutions and lacks innovation's originality.
Said against
3- stagnation
- tradition
- regression
It naturally appears in
3- technological innovation
Technological innovation made the hearing aid smaller and easier to repair.
- culture of innovation
A culture of innovation depends on candid discussion of failed trials.
- social innovation
The cooperative childcare model became a social innovation copied across the region.
Where this comes from
- Merriam-Webster, noun sense 1: a new idea, method, or device opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Merriam-Webster, noun sense 2: the introduction of something new opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.