genius
1 of 2noun
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
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 2adjective
informal
: showing or suggesting great cleverness, skill, or originality : brilliant
Remember how genius Henry Winkler was on Arrested Development? Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly"I think Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing is genius, and Stevie Nicks' voice is really unusual." Justin Hawkins
Justin HawkinsAs "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
Vogue
Did you know?
The Spiritual Origins of Genius
The belief system of the ancient Romans included spirits that were somewhere in between gods and humans and were thought to accompany each person through life as a protector. The Latin name for this spirit was genius, which came from the verb gignere, meaning "to beget." This sense of "attendant spirit" was first borrowed into English in the 14th century. Part of such a spirit's role was to protect a person's moral character, and from that idea an extended sense developed in the 16th century meaning "an identifying character." In time, that meaning was extended to cover a special ability for doing something, and eventually genius acquired senses referring particularly to "very great intelligence" and "people of great intelligence."
Synonyms
Noun
- brain
- brainiac
- intellect
- thinker
- whiz
- wiz
- wizard
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 Following Norm’s death, Kyle Smith and Daniel Tenreiro wrote (as did former NR staffer Teddy Kupfer) eloquently on the man’s life and genius. Luther Ray Abel, National Review, 17 Sep. 2022 But even someone who knows nothing about tennis could watch Federer and see the artistry and genius at play. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022 Liszt worshipped Chopin as a genius, but his love was not returned. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 The show entailed a fictional character named Dr. Gregory House that was gruff, insufferable, and quite unconventional, yet he was portrayed as a medical genius that could ferret out the most obscure of diseases and ailments. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 And don't forget that vegetables are great for stuffing, too—from main dishes, like these Salmon-Stuffed Zucchini Boats, to side dishes, such as these genius Stuffed Baked Tomatoes with Herbs. Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2022 It could have been seen as genius or as, who cares? Alan Light, WSJ, 7 June 2022 Released this week, the third chapter of jeen-yuhs crystalizes the myth of Kanye West as a creative genius stifled by a society that refuses to accept him. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2022 See More
Noun
Owning a work made by a genius induces a feeling of connection—to something pure, and, perhaps, to the purer part of ourselves. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022 Following Norm’s death, Kyle Smith and Daniel Tenreiro wrote (as did former NR staffer Teddy Kupfer) eloquently on the man’s life and genius. Luther Ray Abel, National Review, 17 Sep. 2022 But even someone who knows nothing about tennis could watch Federer and see the artistry and genius at play. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2022 Liszt worshipped Chopin as a genius, but his love was not returned. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 The show entailed a fictional character named Dr. Gregory House that was gruff, insufferable, and quite unconventional, yet he was portrayed as a medical genius that could ferret out the most obscure of diseases and ailments. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 And don't forget that vegetables are great for stuffing, too—from main dishes, like these Salmon-Stuffed Zucchini Boats, to side dishes, such as these genius Stuffed Baked Tomatoes with Herbs. Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2022 It could have been seen as genius or as, who cares? Alan Light, WSJ, 7 June 2022 Released this week, the third chapter of jeen-yuhs crystalizes the myth of Kanye West as a creative genius stifled by a society that refuses to accept him. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
genius
noun
ge·nius ˈjēn-yəs
1
: a very smart or gifted person
2
: great natural ability
He has artistic genius.
3
: a very clever or smart quality
The lads came … chattering all the time about Tom's stupendous plan and admiring the genius of it. Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 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
geniuses
noun
variants or genii
1
as in brains
a very smart person the 16-year-old college graduate was considered to be a genius Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- brains
- brainiacs
- intellects
- virtuosos
- thinkers
- wizards
- intellectuals
- virtuosi
- masters
- whizzes
- savants
- wizzes
- sages
- polymaths
- blues
- nerds
- naturals
- highbrows
- bluestockings
- geeks
- longhairs
- Renaissance men
- polyhistors
- crackerjacks
- crackajacks
- aces
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- idiots
- morons
- imbeciles
- dolts
- numbskulls
- dunces
- knuckleheads
- dopes
- blockheads
- dummies
- goons
- illiterates
- pinheads
- nitwits
- numskulls
- ignoramuses
- dodos
- fatheads
- hammerheads
- dumbbells
- fools
- philistines
- half-wits
- asses
- ignorami
- know-nothings
- jackasses
- lowbrows
- donkeys
- clowns
- beasts
- jerks
- dodoes
- snakes
- heels
- cretins
- stinkers
- boors
- skunks
- louts
- anti-intellectuals
- skunk
- creeps
- cads
- churls
- curs
- louses
2
as in talents
a special and usually inborn ability had a genius for remembering long strings of numbers had a genius for saying the wrong thing, no matter what the social situation Synonyms & Similar Words
- talents
- gifts
- knacks
- aptitudes
- faculties
- endowments
- minds
- tendencies
- bents
- flairs
- skills
- heads
- proclivities
- impulses
- ears
- predilections
- biases
- instincts
- noses
- affinities
- inclinations
- propensities
- predispositions
- facilities
- powers
- dispositions
- leanings
- potentials
- eyes
- capabilities
- ways
- penchants
- feels
- specialties
- capacities
- partialities
- proficiencies
- habitudes
- specialities
- turns
- competences
- touches
- hangs
- fortes
- specialisms
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- disabilities
- weaknesses
- incapacities
- shortcomings
- handicaps
- inabilities
3
as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing a genius for gambling over his head Synonyms & Similar Words
- tendencies
- talents
- devices
- gifts
- aptitudes
- knacks
- proclivities
- predilections
- impulses
- biases
- predispositions
- affinities
- propensities
- inclinations
- bents
- preferences
- penchants
- leanings
- partialities
- likes
- bones
- favors
- prejudices
- dispositions
- habitudes
- tricks
- tastes
- affections
- ways
- flairs
- habits
- likings
- practices
- faculties
- endowments
- turns
- specialties
- addictions
- specialities
- customs
- eccentricities
- fancies
- partisanships
- idiosyncrasies
- quirks
- appetites
- singularities
- routines
- fortes
- patterns
- peculiarities
- oddities
- conventions
- kinks
- practises
- wonts
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- allergies
- disinclinations
- distastes
- dislikes
- disrelishes
- detachments
- aversions
- indifferences
- disfavors
- impartialities
- neutralities
- objectivities
- insouciances
- nonchalances
- apathies
4
as in personalities
the set of qualities that makes a person, a group of people, or a thing different from others putting the needs of the individual before those of society is alien to the genius of the Japanese people Synonyms & Similar Words
- personalities
- natures
- characters
- constitutions
- characteristics
- selves
- traits
- souls
- essences
- colors
- spirits
- tones
- complexions
- attributes
- clays
- properties
- features
- singularities
- individualities
- temperaments
- sorts
- habits
- ways
- hallmarks
- compositions
- dispositions
- stuff
- flavors
- stamps
- earmarks
- substances
- metals
- essentialities
- points
- grains
- interiors
- tempers
- marks
- interiorities
- essentialities
- savors
- makeups
- savours
5
as in manifestations
a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality) the giant tortoise would seem to be the very genius of the unfathomable ancientness that one associates with the Galápagos Islands Synonyms & Similar Words
- manifestations
- incarnations
- essences
- personifications
- avatars
- images
- incorporations
- externalizations
- objectifications
- epitomes
- icons
- realizations
- instantiations
- embodiers
- abstracts
- personifiers
- embodiments
- ikons
- exemplifications
- exemplars
- actualizations
- models
- paradigms
- souls
- archetypes
- personalizations
- concretizations
- substantiations
- reincarnations
- quintessences
- patterns
- timber rattlesnake
- timber right
- timber rot
- timber scribe
- timber toe
- timber wolf
- timber wolves
- timber worm
- timber yard
- timber-toed
- timber-topper
- timberbeast
- timberdoodle
- timberdoodles
- timbered
- timberhead
- timberheads
- timbering
- timberings
- timberjack
- timberland
- timberlands
- timberless
- timberline
- timberlines