invention
noun
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What is the difference between innovation and invention?
The words innovation and invention overlap semantically but are really quite distinct.
Invention can refer to a type of musical composition, a falsehood, a discovery, or any product of the imagination. The sense of invention most likely to be confused with innovation is “a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment,” usually something which has not previously been in existence.
Innovation, for its part, can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. One might say that the first telephone was an invention, the first cellular telephone either an invention or an innovation, and the first smartphone an innovation.
Synonyms
Examples of invention in a Sentence
Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 1 July 2024
The invention, led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, is arguably frightening upon first glance.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 28 June 2024
At the soirée, Maxime, a cockroach obsessive, unveils his new invention, a device that endows him with qualities of the near-indestructible vermin.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 June 2024
At the 20th Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado on Wednesday, Altman compared the rise of artificial intelligence to the discovery of agriculture or the invention of industrial-era machines.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for invention 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'invention.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near invention
Cite this Entry
“Invention.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invention. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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invention
noun
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