Synonyms of invention

invention

noun

in-ˈven(t)-shən 

1

as in innovation

something (as a device) created for the first time through the use of the imagination

his clever invention made people's lives easier

Synonyms & Similar Words

• innovation
• creation
• product
• device
• conception
• coinage
• contrivance
• work
• design
• concoction
• wrinkle
• novelty
• brainchild
• gadget
• contraption
• dream
• origination
• vision
• gizmo
• fantasy
• picture
• imagining

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reproduction
• imitation
• copy
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• replication
• clone
• replica
• carbon copy
• reduplication
• dupe

2

as in fiction

something that is the product of the imagination

unsurprisingly, the story about being kidnapped by aliens was pure invention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fiction
• tale
• fabrication
• novel
• story
• fantasy
• fable
• narrative
• figment
• anecdote
• misrepresentation
• lie
• yarn
• fairy tale
• prevarication
• falsehood
• mendacity
• untruth
• falsity
• make-believe
• fib
• whopper

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fact
• reality
• materiality
• actuality
• realness

3

as in imagination

the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others

a writer with great invention, she is able to create on the page worlds that don't exist but certainly seem like they could

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imagination
• creativity
• imaginativeness
• inventiveness
• fertility
• ideation
• contrivance
• originality
• fantasy
• ingenuity
• fancy
• resourcefulness
• inspiration
• versatility
• fecundity
• brainstorming
• dream
• brainstorm
• pipe dream
• illusion
• daydream
• visualization
• delusion
• chimera
• hallucination
• mirage
• figment
• phantasm
• mind's eye
• envisaging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• literalness
• literality

4

as in creativity

the skill and imagination to create new things

a person of seemingly endless invention, Thomas Edison held a world-record 1,093 patents

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imagination
• creativity
• creativeness
• ingenuity
• inventiveness
• innovativeness
• talent
• imaginativeness
• ingeniousness
• originality
• cleverness
• productivity
• productiveness
• resourcefulness
• fertility
• fruitfulness
• fecundity
• capableness
• genius
• prolificness
• prolificacy
• prolificity
• muse
• giftedness
• inspiration
• fire

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dryness
• dullness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of invention

Since the invention of the Monte Carlo method in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, algorithmic programming has quickly inscribed itself in most, if not all, human experiences. — Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026

Then, after the invention of social media, the photos popped up anywhere and everywhere. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026

Evidence that Keeps Secrets In the mid-1980s, experts fundamentally changed the world of cryptography with the invention of the zero-knowledge proof—or at least the idea of one. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

As with all of our best and worst inventions, its motive has always been desperation. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026