1 : having or showing an unusual aptitude for discovering, inventing, or contriving an ingenious detective. 2 : marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness in conception or execution an ingenious contraption.

Is ingenious a positive word?

Take, for example, the two words ingenious and ingenuous. Ingenious means clever, original or inventive. ... It's the same word from which ingenue/ingenu derives, meaning a naïve young woman/man. Originally, ingenuous tended to have a more positive sense than it does now : it meant candid, frank or honourable.

What makes a person ingenious?

Something ingenious shows creativity and inventiveness. If someone compares you to Einstein, they're implying that you, too, are ingenious. Ingenious comes from the Latin words for inborn talent. It started off meaning someone who was talented or incredibly smart, but has come to mean inventive, or clever.