"Sinovenator" is a troodontid, a group of small, bird-like, gracile maniraptorans. All troodontids have many unique features of the skull, such as closely spaced teeth in the lower jaw, and large numbers of teeth. Troodontids have sickle-claws and raptorial hands, and some of the highest non-avian encephalization quotients, meaning they were behaviourally advanced and had keen senses. The holotype individual of "Sinovenator" was about the size of a chicken, less than a metre long. In 2010, Gregory S. Paul estimated the weight of a one metre long individual at 2.5 kilogrammes. However, the holotype and paratype are subadults; specimens are known with about twice their length. This makes it one of the larger species of troodontids in the ecosystem of the Yixian Formation, the formation where it was found.