1
as in wizard
a very smart person
the 16-year-old college graduate was considered to be a genius
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in talent
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aptitude
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
a genius for gambling over his head
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in self
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
5
as in manifestation
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of genius
All your friends from the live-action seasons are here, plus a new character, Nikki (Odessa A’zion), bigger than the rest, with a Mohawk, army jacket and a genius for MacGyvering weapons from old appliances.
—
Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
This genius device marries a mop and a vacuum to clean wet or dry messes on hard floors, including vinyl.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Trump can’t seem to refrain from touting his genius, especially when the subject is dealmaking, his professed speciality.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
Whether or not one is persuaded of Shakespeare’s authorship or disputes it, there is no contesting the genius of the playwright’s art.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for genius
Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
This genius device marries a mop and a vacuum to clean wet or dry messes on hard floors, including vinyl.
—Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
Trump can’t seem to refrain from touting his genius, especially when the subject is dealmaking, his professed speciality.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2026
Whether or not one is persuaded of Shakespeare’s authorship or disputes it, there is no contesting the genius of the playwright’s art.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for genius
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genius
Noun
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That won't mean much to most gamers or even most PC enthusiasts, but for memory-tuning wizards like 1usmus, more levers to pull in overclocking and timing adjustments may make more capable memory overclocks possible in the future.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
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Get ready for witches, munchkins and even the wizard.—
Stacey Zable,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Many of DeCosta’s peers revere his talent-evaluation skills, roster-building approach and intensity.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Hamilton, who graduated in 2001 and played 10 years in the NHL with Chicago, Toronto and Carolina, has been developing amateur talent as co-owner of the Connecticut Junior Rangers.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Few Democrats in the party's 2028 presidential sights have an opportunity to demonstrate political strength and party-building aptitude in swing states.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
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So does discipline, defensive aptitude and goaltending.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And what could be more defensive and self-aggrandizing than choosing a weaker person to pick on, to transfer all of one’s anxieties to, and then to harm for daring to comply?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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It’s taken me years to be able to overcome that psychology of self-loathing and victimhood.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This entry further defines community radio and then discusses its origins and its manifestations throughout the world.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
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In Cavarocchi’s practice, womanhood is seen as a manifestation of nature, with landscapes playing a role in healing trauma and reflecting cyclical rhythms of regeneration.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Though an unabashedly liberal Democrat, Hart commanded respect from lawmakers of both parties for his intellect, decency and grit.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Propaganda was the art that conveyed—through emotions and even spirituality, not intellect—the all-encompassing ideology that ruled one’s life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky had a knack for taking his characters on journeys that change them beyond recognition.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
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Ian does his best to make the most of his time with his son, but the single father has a knack for complicating things.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Sometimes the batteries on the trackers would run low, and McGovern’s team would need to remove and recharge the devices, before surreptitiously replacing them.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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In 2021, a critical vulnerability in Log4j—a logging library maintained by a handful of volunteers—exposed hundreds of millions of devices.—
Evan Johnson,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Genius.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genius. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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