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genius

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈdʒinjəs// UK //dʒˈiːnɪəs// ge·nius General-service Informal

n. someone who is exceptionally smart or talented at something. You can also use it to describe a great idea or a special skill.

n. exceptional intellectual or creative power or natural ability. Also used to refer to a person possessing such extraordinary mental capacity or talent.


SIMPLE

She is a mathematical genius.

CONTEXTUAL

The marketing team's decision to use a viral video was a stroke of genius that saved the campaign.

COMPLEX

While the public often views genius as a sudden flash of inspiration, most historians argue it is the result of obsessive focus and years of deliberate practice.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin genius (“inborn nature; a tutelary deity of a person or place; wit, brilliance”), from gignō (“to beget, produce”), Old Latin genō, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁-. Doublet of genio. See also genus and genie.

Usage

Countable when referring to a person; uncountable when referring to the abstract quality of high intelligence.

Pitfall

He has a genius for to solve puzzlesHe has a genius for solving puzzlesWhen 'genius' is followed by 'for', use a gerund (-ing form) or a noun, not an infinitive.

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