It’s difficult to know what the world would look like if not for the creative and inventive ideas of some of our greatest minds.
So, if you’re wondering what to call a person who comes up with ideas, especially in the context of a company or organization, we’re here to help!
Words for a Person Who Comes Up With Ideas
- Innovator
- Visionary
- Pioneer
- Proposer
- Nominator
- Advocate
- Plant
- Ideator
- Suggester
- Creative
- Imaginative
- Inventor
- Idea hamster
- Savant
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- When someone introduces new and inventive modes of work or creation in a company, you can call them an “innovator.”
- A “visionary” is someone who can predict the future and create products or services in response.
- A “pioneer” assists in the creation and development of new ideas or products.
Don’t go anywhere! In the next section, we’ll unpack each of our top three words for a person who comes up with ideas more clearly. We’ll also provide some example sentences using each of them!
Innovator
An “innovator” is someone who generates ideas and comes up with unique ways of doing things for the propulsion of their business or organization.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines an “innovator” as “someone who introduces changes and new ideas.”
It provides a second definition as well: “a person who develops a new design, product, etc., or who has new ideas about how to do something.”
In order to be an “innovator” a person needs to be highly imaginative. In particular, they need to consider how things are and re-imagine the potential of what is around them.
If this sounds like you, and you have the portfolio to back it up, you can yourself an “innovator” in your resume. This will be great to include if you are looking to join a new team at a start-up company.
“Innovator” is also a job title for someone who comes up with ideas in a company. Many top businesspeople and company CEOs are innovators. In other words, they have always adapted to change and re-energized their brands accordingly.
Therefore, let’s see a couple of sentences making use of this word:
Some called him an innovator, others an opportunist, but it is undeniable that he took what resources he had and exploited them to their fullest.
Tharpe was not just a musician but an innovator whose style and stage presence has been adopted by many big names in Rock n’ Roll.
Visionary
According to the Collins Dictionary, “if you refer to someone as a visionary, you mean that they have strong, original ideas about how things might be different in the future, especially about how things might be improved.”
In other words, a “visionary” is an innovative person who has a lot of creative ideas about how things could be someday.
In particular, they can imagine what consumers or customers will need in the future. Then, they develop the tools to supply these future needs.
They may also predict how industries will change and develop over time, considering the circumstances they are in. This means they are able to adapt to change before it even occurs!
Have a look at how we’ve used this term in some example sentences:
She can only be described as a visionary; she foresaw the massive 180 the makeup industry would take before experts could even begin to predict it.
A visionary for his time, Howard designed many vessels and engines that inspired real cars, submarines, and aircraft decades later.
Pioneer
Merriam-Webster defines a “pioneer” as “a person or group that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method or technical development.”
You can use this term as both a noun and a verb.
In other words, a “pioneer” can be someone who comes up with ideas for companies.
In particular, they may help an organization offer a new and inventive product or service to the public. After all, the term “pioneer” connotes the first of a kind to achieve or do something.
Therefore, if you have ever pioneered anything throughout your career, you should include this term in your cover letter. Especially when you are applying for a role in a company that would involve team leadership.
Check out the example sentences below:
Marcus helped pioneer our latest line of biodegradable hoverboards.
Katherine is a pioneer in hologram animation. What’s more, she is someone who has a lot of ideas about how the future of cinema will look.