invention
noun
Simple meaning
The creation of something in the mind.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnvehnshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnˈvɛnʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The creation of something in the mind
“The invention of imaginary worlds requires creativity and careful thought.”
Something invented.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The creation of something in the mind
Used this way, invention is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The invention of imaginary worlds requires creativity and careful thought.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “invention of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: invention of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use invention
- “The internet was a groundbreaking invention that changed the world.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.