genie

1 of 2

noun (1)

ge·​nie ˈjē-nē 

plural genies also genii ˈjē-nē(-ˌī) 

1

: jinni sense 1

2

: a magic spirit believed to take human form and serve the person who calls it

genius

2 of 2

noun (2)

ge·​nius ˈjēn-yəs 

ˈjē-nē-əs

plural geniuses or genii ˈjē-nē-ˌī 

1

a

plural genii : an attendant spirit of a person or place

b

plural usually genii : a person who influences another for good or bad

He has been accused of being his brother's evil genius.

2

: a strong leaning or inclination : penchant

3

a

: a peculiar, distinctive, or identifying character or spirit

the genius of our democratic government

b

: the associations and traditions of a place

c

: a personification or embodiment especially of a quality or condition

4

plural usually genii : spirit, jinni

5

plural usually geniuses

a

: a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude

… had a genius for getting along with boys …

—Mary Ross

b

: extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity

c

: a person endowed with extraordinary mental superiority

especially : a person with a very high IQ

Did you know?

The Spiritual Origins of Genius

Today, the word genius tends to carry cerebral connotations, rather than spiritual ones, but the word has its origin in ancient Roman religion, in which the genius (from Latin gignere, “to beget”) was originally a spirit who gave continuity to a family or clan over generations, and later the attendant spirit of a person or place. When genius first made its home in the English language in the 14th century it carried this “attendant spirit” meaning. Over time, the word developed the extended sense of “an identifying character or spirit,” a meaning inspired by the fact that part of a genius’s role was to protect a person’s moral character. Later genius came to refer to both remarkable talent or intelligence, and to someone who has such—genius developments, if you ask us.

Synonyms of genie

Noun (2)

• wizard
• intellect
• wiz

Choose the Right Synonym for genie

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something.

gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

Examples of genie in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He rubbed the magic lamp to summon the genie.

Noun (2)

Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton were great scientific geniuses.

You don't have to be a genius to see that this plan will never work.

He was a genius at handling the press.

She's now widely recognized as an artist of genius.

He's admired for his comic genius.

My plan is simple—that's the genius of it.

The genius of these new computers is their portability.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The genie was out of the bottle. —Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026

The genie is out of the bottle. —Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 1 May 2026

Noun

The fine line between madness and genius was perfectly encapsulated when Maradona scored an otherworldly solo goal just four minutes later. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 June 2026

Andrew Scott is so genius on the show. —Kate Aurthur, Variety, 3 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French génie, from Arabic jinnī

Noun (2)

Latin, tutelary spirit, natural inclinations, from gignere to beget

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing genie

• a stroke of genius
• genius loci

Rhymes for genie

• acini
• aldine
• amine
• arsine
• carinii
• cosine
• delphine
• domine
• latine
• ovine
• pennine
• porcine

Kids Definition

genie

noun

ge·​nie ˈjē-nē 

: a magic spirit believed to take human form and serve the person who calls it