creative

See also: créative

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-
Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁eh₂yéti
Proto-Italic [Term?]
Latin creō
Proto-Indo-European *-wós
Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder.
Latin -īvus
Latin creātīvusbor.
English creative

    Borrowed from Late Latin creātīvus, from Latin creō. Equivalent to create +‎ -ive. Displaced native Old English orþanclīċ.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /kɹiˈeɪtɪv/
    • (nonstandard) IPA(key): /kəˈɹeɪtɪv/
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    • Rhymes: -eɪtɪv

    Adjective

    creative (comparative more creative, superlative most creative)

    1. Tending to create things, or having the ability to create; often, excellently, in a novel fashion, or any or all of these.
      Synonyms: pregnant, originative
      a creative dramatist who avoids cliche
      • 2025 January 23, Joshua Stylman, The Algorithmic Age‎[1], archived from the original on 23 August 2026:
        The future belongs to those aware enough to see the system, brave enough to reject it, and creative enough to build something better.
    2. (of a created thing) Original, expressive and imaginative.
      a creative new solution to an old problem
    3. (set theory) A type of set of natural numbers, related to mathematical logic.
      a creative set
    4. (ironic) Designed or executed to deceive or mislead.
      creative accounting and bookkeeping
    5. (euphemistic, of art) bad, unartistic, busy.

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Noun

    creative (countable and uncountable, plural creatives)

    2. (countable) A person directly involved in a creative process; a creator of creative content.
      He is a visionary creative.
      • 2016, Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy, page 1:
        Precisely what makes us so promising as thinkers, doers, creatives, and entrepreneurs, what drives us to the top of those fields, makes us vulnerable to this darker side of the psyche.
      • 2024, Christine Riccio, Attached at the Hip, page 5:
        Rob Lennox is an artsy guy. He's an uber-passionate creative, constantly raving about his latest ideas and inspirations, and as far as dads go, he's pretty great.
      • 2026 July 16, Clare Armstrong, “AI office urged to include artists after Anthony Albanese's copyright promise”, in ABC News‎[2], archived from the original on 22 August 2026:
        In a speech in Sydney, he promised Australia's laws "will spell … out" clear protections for creatives who permit AI to train on their books, music and art, and also implied further work to come on the copyright issue.
    3. (uncountable) Artistic material used in advertising, e.g. photographs, drawings, or videos.
      The design team has completed the creative for next month's multi-part ad campaign.
      I've included in my portfolio all the creative I've completed in my five year design career.

    Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    References

    Anagrams

    Italian

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /kre.aˈti.ve/
    • Rhymes: -ive
    • Hyphenation: cre‧a‧tì‧ve

    Adjective

    creative f pl

    1. feminine plural of creativo

    Anagrams

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