1
as in wizard
a very smart person
the 16-year-old college graduate was considered to be a genius
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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
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3
as in aptitude
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
a genius for gambling over his head
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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
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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
The youngest daughter, Harriet, a genius who can’t seem to stay out of trouble, is desperately trying to evade being shipped off to a wilderness-reform-boarding school.
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Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
One genius way that some flight attendants stay cool from takeoff to touch down is with a portable mini fan, like this $18 option from Jisulife.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026
Ahead, discover genius ways to wrangle your pots and pans neatly, once and for all.
—Alex Ronan, Architectural Digest, 1 Jan. 2026
Ayo Edebiri and Don Cheadle star in David Auburn’s Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play about two genius mathematicians, daughter and father, and how all the brains in the world don’t make the struggle to navigate grief, love, and doubt any easier.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genius
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genius
Noun
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Who were the ad wizards who came up with that one?—
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This wizard doesn’t even use a curtain.—
Noun
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The movie is like a version of Waiting for Guffman (1996) in which the Christopher Guest character was not a buffoon but an earnest striver with grit and (significant) talent.—
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That’s because North Crowley’s talent development, depth, culture and recent success have put the school in a position to compete for championships.—
Noun
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This aptitude for song and dance, combined with some friend-of-a-friend magic, was enough to get Taylor an audience with two people who would change her life.—
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Mount’s defensive aptitude proved important in keeping United compact throughout, regularly dropping into vacant spaces to slow down any nascent attacks.—
Noun
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Burrus, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation who self-identifies as transgender, said losing faith in the Democrats and never having faith in the Republicans led to embracing communism.—
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Like all Americans, our officers have a right to self defense.—
Noun
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Consciously choosing the design of this polish, applying it calmly, and visualizing your wishes for the new year transforms the manicure into an act of self-care and manifestation.—
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In the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, Theophany, which the holiday is often called in Eastern countries, celebrates the manifestation of Jesus’ divinity in addition to his baptism, according to The Catholic Witness.—
Noun
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The persecution of Trotsky and the Moscow Trials, which caused a rift in the American left, revealed the weakness of Cowley’s party-line political thinking, just as all his other work demonstrated the scope of his literary intellect.—
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Mister Terrific emerges as one of Superman’s smartest anchors, threading intellect through a story preoccupied with power, trust, and what the world expects its heroes to be.—
Noun
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Only a few other animals, like parrots and apes, have demonstrated a knack for this kind of eavesdropping.—
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Greene has shown a knack for finding soft spots in the offensive zone and setting himself up for Grade-A scoring chances.—
Noun
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Samsung says the sensor targets users who want professional-grade imaging from mobile devices.—
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Speaking to gadgets is often faster than typing, but Amazon and Nirva also see their devices as another means to gather data that can provide insights about a user’s life, though doing so will surely raise privacy concerns.—
Cite this Entry
“Genius.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genius. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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