Genii — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Genii (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. a magic spirit that looks like a person, often lives in a lamp or bottle, and serves the person who calls it

   "He rubbed the magic lamp to summon the genie."

   similar: afreets, jinn, cacodemons, demons, devils, fiends, ghosts, ghoulies, ghouls, imps, shaitans, hags (archaic), lamiae, vampires, incubi, nightmares, succubi, apparitions, banshees, bogeys, bugbears, familiars, familiar spirits, geniuses, phantasms, phantoms, poltergeists, shades, shadows, specters, spooks, visions, wraiths, brownies, dwarfs, elves, faeries, fairies, fays, gnomes, goblins, gremlins, hobgoblins, kobolds, leprechauns, pixies, pucks, sprites, trolls, monsters, ogres
   opposite: angels

2. a very smart person

   "the 16-year-old college graduate was considered to be a genius"

   similar: brainiacs, brains, intellects, thinkers, whizzes, wizards, wizzes
   related: polyhistors, polymaths, Renaissance men, blues, bluestockings, highbrows, intellectuals, sages, savants, geeks, longhairs, nerds, masters, virtuosos, aces, crackerjacks
   opposite: blockheads, dodoes, dolts, dopes, dumbbells, dummies, dunces, fatheads, goons, half-wits, hammerheads, idiots, imbeciles, knuckleheads, morons, nitwits, numskulls, pinheads
   near: ignoramuses, illiterates, know-nothings, lowbrows, anti-intellectuals, philistines, asses, donkeys, fools, jackasses, beasts, boors, cads, churls, clowns, creeps, cretins, curs, heels, jerks, louses, louts, skunks, snakes, stinkers

3. 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"

   similar: aptitudes, bents, endowments, faculties, flairs, gifts, heads, knacks, talents
   related: affinities, biases, dispositions, habitudes, impulses, inclinations, leanings, partialities, penchants, predilections, predispositions, proclivities, propensities, tendencies, turns, ears, eyes, minds, noses, feels, hangs, instincts, touches, ways, capabilities, competences, facilities, proficiencies, skills, capacities, potentials, powers, fortes, specialisms, specialities, specialties
   near: disabilities, handicaps, inabilities, incapacities, shortcomings, weaknesses

4. a habitual attraction to some activity or thing

   "a genius for gambling over his head"

   similar: affections, affinities, aptitudes, bents, biases, bones, devices, dispositions, habitudes, impulses, inclinations, leanings, partialities, penchants, predilections, predispositions, proclivities, propensities, tendencies, turns
   related: favors, partisanships, prejudices, endowments, faculties, flairs, gifts, knacks, talents, addictions, appetites, fancies, likes, likings, preferences, tastes, fortes, specialities, specialties, conventions, customs, habits, patterns, practices, routines, tricks, ways, wonts, eccentricities, idiosyncrasies, kinks, oddities, peculiarities, quirks, singularities
   near: allergies, aversions, disfavors, disinclinations, dislikes, disrelishes, distastes, detachments, impartialities, neutralities, objectivities, apathies, indifferences, insouciances, nonchalances

5. 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"

   similar: characters, clays, colors, complexions, constitutions, natures, personalities, selves, tones
   related: individualities, singularities, attributes, characteristics, earmarks, essentialities, features, flavors, hallmarks, marks, points, properties, savors, stamps, traits, dispositions, grains, sorts, temperaments, tempers, compositions, makeups, essences, interiorities, interiors, souls, spirits, metals, stuff, substances, habits, ways

6. 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"

   similar: abstracts, avatars, embodiers, embodiments, epitomes, externalizations, icons, images, incarnations, incorporations, instantiations, manifestations, objectifications, personifications, personifiers
   related: actualizations, concretizations, exemplifications, personalizations, realizations, substantiations, essences, quintessences, souls, archetypes, exemplars, models, paradigms, patterns, reincarnations

7. a magic spirit that looks like a person, often lives in a lamp or bottle, and serves the person who calls it

   "He rubbed the magic lamp to summon the genie."

   similar: afreet, jinni, cacodemon, demon, devil, fiend, ghost, ghoul, ghoulie, imp, shaitan, hag (archaic), lamia, vampire, incubus, nightmare, succubus, apparition, banshee, bogey, bugbear, familiar, familiar spirit, genius, phantasm, phantom, poltergeist, shade, shadow, specter, spook, vision, wraith, brownie, dwarf, elf, faerie, fairy, fay, gnome, goblin, gremlin, hobgoblin, kobold, leprechaun, pixie, puck, sprite, troll, monster, ogre
   opposite: angel

8. a very smart person

   "the 16-year-old college graduate was considered to be a genius"

   similar: brain, brainiac, intellect, thinker, whiz, wiz, wizard
   related: polyhistor, polymath, Renaissance man, blue, bluestocking, highbrow, intellectual, sage, savant, geek, longhair, nerd, master, virtuoso, ace, crackerjack, natural
   opposite: blockhead, dodo, dolt, dope, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fathead, goon, half-wit, hammerhead, idiot, imbecile, knucklehead, moron, nitwit, numskull, pinhead
   near: ignoramus, illiterate, know-nothing, lowbrow, anti-intellectual, philistine, ass, donkey, fool, jackass, beast, boor, cad, churl, clown, creep, cretin, cur, heel, jerk, louse, lout, skunk, snake, stinker

9. 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"

   similar: aptitude, bent, endowment, faculty, flair, gift, head, knack, talent
   related: affinity, bias, disposition, habitude, impulse, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, turn, ear, eye, mind, nose, feel, hang, instinct, touch, way, capability, competence, facility, proficiency, skill, capacity, potential, power, forte, specialism, speciality, specialty
   near: disability, handicap, inability, incapacity, shortcoming, weakness

10. a habitual attraction to some activity or thing

    "a genius for gambling over his head"

    similar: affection, affinity, aptitude, bent, bias, bone, devices, disposition, habitude, impulse, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, turn
    related: favor, one-sidedness, partisanship, prejudice, endowment, faculty, flair, gift, knack, talent, addiction, appetite, fancy, fondness, like, liking, preference, taste, forte, speciality, specialty, convention, custom, habit, pattern, practice, routine, trick, way, wont, eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, kink, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularity
    near: allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disinclination, dislike, disliking, disrelish, distaste, detachment, impartiality, neutrality, objectivity, apathy, disinterestedness, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern

11. 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"

    similar: character, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, nature, personality, self, tone
    related: distinctiveness, distinctness, individuality, singularity, uniqueness, attribute, characteristic, earmark, essentiality, feature, flavor, hallmark, mark, point, property, savor, stamp, trait, disposition, grain, sort, temper, temperament, composition, makeup, essence, interior, interiority, soul, spirit, metal, stuff, substance, habit, way

12. 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"

    similar: abstract, avatar, embodier, embodiment, epitome, externalization, icon, image, incarnation, incorporation, instantiation, manifestation, objectification, personification, personifier
    related: actualization, concretization, exemplification, personalization, realization, substantiation, essence, quintessence, soul, archetype, exemplar, model, paradigm, pattern, reincarnation