When you’re in a group environment, it can be hard to come up with a definitive idea. That’s why having someone who suggests ideas is a lifesaver in many situations. This article will explore some words we can use to talk about these types of people.
What Do You Call A Person Who Comes Up With Ideas?
There are some great ways we can refer to people who come up with ideas. Some of the following are the best bets:
- Innovator
- Ingenuity
- Intellectual
- Decisive
- Imaginative
- Creative
- Smart
- Clever
- Reliable
- Savant
The preferred version is “innovator.” It works well to show that someone is always leading the way when it comes to making decisions. They are often the most reliable person in a group to help you figure out what your next best move is supposed to be.
Innovator
“Innovator” is a great way to show that someone is always there to introduce new ideas to a team or party. Innovators are great in difficult situations (especially if there’s a particular pressure related to thinking of a reasonable idea).
Innovators tend to be the CEOs of the large companies you know today. They’ll be the people coming up with the ideas that have created the multi-million or billion-dollar corporations in the world.
The definition of “innovator,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who introduces changes and new ideas.”
- You’re the innovator, and we rely on you. Please help us decide which idea is best.
- She should be more of an innovator. She’s really intelligent, but she doesn’t seem to trust her ability.
- You’ll be the innovator of the group, then. After all, you seem to have only reasonable ideas.
Ingenuity
“Ingenuity” is a great way to show that someone thinks in ways that other people might miss. It shows they are clever, and they’ll usually suggest ideas that other people might not even think about.
Ingenuity is one of the best traits to have when it comes to building your own brand or business. That’s why it works so well here.
The definition of “ingenuity,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone’s ability to think of clever new ways of doing something.”
- Your ingenuity is something to behold. Is there anything you can come up with that’s going to help us change?
- I should apply my ingenuity to this business. My ideas are better than most of the ones you come up with.
- His ingenuity knows no bounds. We need to hire him immediately because no one has better ideas.
Intellectual
“Intellectual” refers to someone’s capacity to think. They are usually the smartest people in a group, and we can use this word to show that they come up with ideas when other people are struggling to think of anything useful.
The definition of “intellectual,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “relating to your ability to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas.”
- You’re an intellectual, and you need to trust your ability. Just get some ideas flowing first.
- She’s an intellectual, and I really like watching her think things through. Her ideas are always so interesting.
- You’ll have to act like an intellectual for once! I know that’s going to be hard, but they expect the idea to come from you.
Decisive
“Decisive” works well when ideas have already been presented in a group. If the group cannot agree overall on the best idea, a decisive person is usually there to clarify that one of the ideas is the best one at the time.
For example, if a group likes Project A, B, and C, but can’t decide which one to continue working on, a decisive candidate could simply say that Project B comes with the most reward, and it’ll be the most interesting one for them to start working on.
The definition of “decisive,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “able to make decisions quickly and confidently, or showing this quality.”
- We need someone more decisive than us to come up with a solution. We’re not getting anywhere with this.
- You’re decisive, and you need to suggest an idea. We can’t keep coming up with things without a definitive answer.
- I’m the only one here that’s decisive. Therefore, it comes down to me to suggest something that’s going to work out.
Imaginative
“Imaginative” is a great way to show that someone thinks about ideas differently from others. We can use it when someone is always coming up with original ideas that help a group (or themselves) out.
Imaginative people are great to have in a group setting. They often think in ways that other people won’t.
So, while the other members of the group might have one mediocre idea between them, an imaginative person could end up with five or six really interesting ideas that no one else thought of.
The definition of “imaginative,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “good at thinking of new, original, and clever ideas.”
- I’m imaginative, and I’ll happily help you come up with a better name for your business.
- Don’t worry; I won’t charge for my imaginative prowess. I do expect to have my name written as a founder, though.
- You’re the imaginative one, and I need you to help me one last time! Do you think you can do that?
Creative
“Creative” means that someone thinks in ways other people cannot comprehend. It shows they will open up their mind to unusual ideas, and they’ll explore different outcomes and situations until they find one that works best.
The definition of “creative,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “producing or using original and unusual ideas.”
- I think his ideas are always creative, and we should hear him out before we don’t get another chance.
- You’re the creative idea guy, so you need to help us get out of this situation.
- Are you the creative brain behind this idea? I’d love to learn what makes you think this will work well.
Smart
“Smart” means that someone is intelligent, and they usually have ideas to prove that. Intelligent people typically provide ideas for others that allow them to explore new avenues.
Just like being creative or imaginative, being smart allows certain people to open up new ideas that others didn’t even think of.
The definition of “smart,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “intelligent, or able to think quickly or intelligently in difficult situations.”
- Darren is clearly the smart one, so you should talk to him about it. He’ll help you understand the idea.
- This idea was created by someone much smarter than all of us. I don’t know how to tackle it without help.
- You’re too smart for this group. You should just leave us to be indecisive with no real goals!
Clever
“Clever” is an alternative to “smart.” We can use this synonym to show that someone is intelligent and can usually think in interesting ways. The way they think allows them to come up with good ideas that others might miss out on.
The definition of “clever,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “having or showing the ability to learn and understand things quickly and easily.”
- I think I’m clever enough to come up with a good idea. Just bear with me for a second while I think.
- You’re not very clever. We don’t come to you for ideas, so don’t bother trying to help us.
- As the clever one in the group, it’s down to me to decide which of these ideas makes the most sense for us.
Reliable
“Reliable” can be attributed to a specific person in a group. If they’re always the ones coming up with good ideas, it makes sense to “rely” on them.
This reliable quality means they’ll always be the ones to help you out. If you can’t come to a group decision, the ideas of a reliable person will usually be enough to fix any issues you might have.
The definition of “reliable,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “deserving trust; dependable.”
- You’re the most reliable one of us when it comes to suggesting new ideas! Please help us out with this.
- She’s quite reliable. I would trust her with the decision since none of you seem to be able to come up with one.
- You’re almost too reliable! How do you always know the best course of action in these cases?
Savant
“Savant” works when we want to show someone is clever enough to come up with good ideas. They usually relate their ideas to the skills they have.
It can be quite a pretentious way to talk about someone, so be careful who you use it for.
The definition of “savant,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person with a high level of knowledge or skill, especially someone who is less able in other ways.”
- You’re quite the savant. We need your help figuring out the best way to go about this.
- What’s your idea? As a savant, I think we should rely on you to help us figure this one out.
- He’s a savant because of his ideas. I don’t know how he comes up with them!
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.