genius

1 of 2

noun

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

genius

2 of 2

adjective

informal

: showing or suggesting great cleverness, skill, or originality : brilliant

Remember how genius Henry Winkler was on Arrested Development?

—Entertainment Weekly

"I think Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing is genius, and Stevie Nicks' voice is really unusual."

—Justin Hawkins

As "genius" as the New York raver kids may be, it's in Britain that the mixing of fashion and club music in the nineties is at its most exciting.

—Vogue

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

Noun

• brain
• brainiac
• intellect
• thinker
• whiz
• wiz
• wizard

Choose the Right Synonym for genius

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 genius in a Sentence

Noun

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

One part mad genius, another part curious kid, the prolific artist is one of the biggest names in his field. —Ashley Ogawa Clarke, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2024

What follows is one of the most tonally bizarre and genuinely fun movies-about-movies ever made, touching on themes about the monstrosity of artistic genius while also letting Dafoe’s vampire be a diva who snatches a bat out of the air and drains it like a Capri Sun in front of the producers. —Elle Carroll, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024

Adjective

That's why their newest appetizer really is rather genius—and its price point sure is surprising. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2024

There were still genius oddities here and there—the wistful video gamey emo of Jane Remover’s Teen Week/Frailty, underscores’ fictional town odysseys, DJ Re:Code’s ADHD-core hyper-hyper-pop. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

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

Adjective

1924, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing genius

• a stroke of genius
• genius loci

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

genius

noun

ge·​nius ˈjēn-yəs 

ˈjē-nē-əs

plural geniuses or genii -ē-ˌī 

-nē-ˌī

1

plural genii : an accompanying spirit of a person or place

2

: a strong leaning or inclination

a genius for getting into trouble

3

: a peculiar, distinctive, or identifying character

the genius of a nation

4

plural usually geniuses

a

: great natural ability

b

: extraordinary intelligence

c

: a very gifted person

Etymology

Noun

from Latin genius "special guardian spirit," from gignere "to father, beget" — related to engine, gin entry 1, ingenious

Word Origin

The ancient Romans believed in special beings or spirits that were not gods or humans but something in between. They believed that from birth each person had one of these spirits to act as a protector. The Latin name for this spirit was genius, which came from gignere, meaning "to be the father of, beget." Part of such a genius's role was to protect a person's moral character. From this idea in the 16th century came the sense of genius meaning "an identifying character." This led to the sense of "a marked aptitude." In time genius came to mean "very great intellectual power".

Medical Definition

genius

noun

ge·​nius ˈjē-nyəs, -nē-əs 

plural geniuses or genii -nē-ˌī 

1

: extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity

2

: a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority

specifically : a person with a very high IQ