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Invention

n. capable, hopeful everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

A newly created device, method, or idea.

Reach for it when naming the original result of inventive work

Her invention lets wheelchair users reach high shelves without a motor.

Meaning 2

The process or ability of creating something new.

Reach for it when praising original making as an activity or faculty

The workshop gave children time for invention before showing the standard design.

Meaning 3

A story or claim made up rather than drawn from fact.

Reach for it when distinguishing fabrication from creative originality

The dramatic account was an invention added years after the voyage.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2Meaning 3
everyday
  • Invention (this word)
  • device
warm
professional
formal
literary

Meaning 1: A newly created device, method, or idea.

  • everyday

    device

    Fits when the physical object and its function are all that matter

    Careful A device can use familiar technology and need not be an invention.

  • warm

    creation

    Fits when the made result is praised broadly

    Careful Creation includes art and copies, so it does not establish novelty.

  • professional

    breakthrough

    Fits when the invention crosses a major technical barrier

    Careful Breakthrough inflates a clever but incremental object.

  • professional

    innovation

    Fits when successful application and useful change are central

    Careful Innovation may be a new use of an existing invention.

Meaning 2: The process or ability of creating something new.

  • formal

    inventiveness

    Fits when the capacity for original creation is the subject

    Careful Inventiveness is a trait, while invention can mean the creative process itself.

Meaning 3: A story or claim made up rather than drawn from fact.

  • formal

    fabrication

    Fits when a knowingly false account is being identified

    Careful Fabrication can also mean physical manufacture and often sounds accusatory.

  • literary

    fiction

    Fits when an openly imagined narrative is intended

    Careful Fiction is not deception when presented honestly as imaginative work.

Opposites 3

  • imitation
  • repetition
  • fact

Common phrases 3

  • useful invention

    The useful invention spread quickly because any village smith could repair it.

  • patented invention

    Her patented invention uses gravity rather than a pump.

  • pure invention

    The rumor about a hidden tunnel was pure invention.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated