A person who originates a new device, process, or practical idea.
Reach for it when crediting original conception while avoiding claims about commercial success
The inventor tested the handle with people of different ages and grip strengths.
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday |
|
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
playful
tinkerer
Fits when hands-on experimenting has an informal, affectionate tone
Careful Tinkerer may diminish expertise or imply hobby work.
everyday
creator
Fits when making an original work is the broad contribution
Careful Creator includes art and content, not only first-of-kind devices or methods.
professional
designer
Fits when planning how an object functions and looks defines the role
Careful A designer can work within an established product type without inventing it.
professional
engineer
Fits when technical analysis turns requirements into a reliable solution
Careful Engineer is a profession and does not automatically mean inventor.
professional
Fits when successful application of a new approach is the person's distinction
Careful An innovator may adapt someone else's invention.
formal
Fits when being the first source of an idea is what matters
Careful Originator says nothing about developing the idea into a workable object.
literary
Fits when far-reaching foresight is the main praise
Careful A visionary may propose a future without inventing anything concrete.
prolific inventor
The prolific inventor kept notebooks for ideas that never reached the workshop.
young inventor
A young inventor presented a low-cost alarm for village wells.
named inventor
The patent lists each named inventor who contributed to the mechanism.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
Your browser isn't saving lists, so this one will be cleared when you leave the page.