intelligentsia

in·tel·li·gent·sia

noun
\in-ˌte-lə-ˈjen(t)-sē-ə, -ˈgen(t)-\

Definition of INTELLIGENTSIA

: intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite

Examples of INTELLIGENTSIA

1. <a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others>

Origin of INTELLIGENTSIA

Russian intelligentsiya, from Latin intelligentia intelligence

First Known Use: 1907

Related to INTELLIGENTSIA

Synonyms: clerisy, literati

Related Words: avant-garde, culturati; chosen, illuminati; best, choice, cream, elect, elite, fat, flower, pick, prime, upper crust

Near Antonyms: booboisie

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Other Sociology Terms

bourgeois, ethos, eugenics, exurb, incommunicado, megalopolis, metrosexual, mores, subculture