Words of Positivity
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Originative

adj.capable, energeticformal

What it means

Creative and able to produce new ideas.

Reach for it when praising the ability to originate genuinely new ideas or forms

The originative student designed a folding desk for cramped rooms.

Choose between these

6
  • everyday

    creative

    new and valuable ideas are produced

    not when Creative is broad and may involve adaptation.

  • warm

    imaginative

    rich possibilities and imagery deserve praise

    not when Imagination may never become a workable result.

  • professional

    innovative

    a new method improves existing practice

    not when Innovation need not originate an idea from scratch.

  • professional

    inventive

    novel practical solutions are central

    not when Invention emphasizes function more than artistic originality.

  • formal

    original

    the work is not merely copied

    not when Original can mean first rather than imaginative.

  • literary

    generative

    one idea produces many further possibilities

    not when Generative does not guarantee novelty.

Said against

3
  • imitative
  • derivative
  • unoriginal

It naturally appears in

3
  • originative thinker

    The originative thinker connected flood control with public gardens.

  • originative power

    Her originative power appeared in simple tools for cramped rooms.

  • highly originative

    The solution was highly originative without being impractical.

Where this comes from

Originative is rare; creative or inventive will sound more natural in most praise.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.