1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in internal
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
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3
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level
research that shows that people from very intellectual backgrounds are happiest with spouses having comparable educations
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as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests
discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intellectual
Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 20 June 2025
Tolstoy’s approach is frequently emotional, moreover, literary rather than intellectual.
—Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 3 June 2025
This assumption stemmed from its inclusion in a lineage of English intellectuals with roots among the Clapham Saints.
—Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Technology The Big Story Pope Leo’s warns of AI’s impact on youth
Pope Leo XIV sounded the alarm this week over artificial intelligence (AI)’s potential impact on young people’s intellectual and neurological development, building upon one of the main focuses of his papacy.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 20 June 2025
Tolstoy’s approach is frequently emotional, moreover, literary rather than intellectual.
—Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025
Noun
And then the Bloomsbury Group, the influential circle of British artists, writers, and intellectuals from the early 20th century.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 3 June 2025
This assumption stemmed from its inclusion in a lineage of English intellectuals with roots among the Clapham Saints.
—Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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But these cerebral dispatches realize their audience often experiences the work communally and tends to enjoy it most when accompanied by flowing synths and insistent drums.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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Expect subversion, something a little weird, traditional craft turned cerebral.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
23 June 2025
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That could help make a dent in the high figure of 60% of energy that buildings use to cool their internal spaces, especially in warmer places like Singapore and the Middle East.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
23 June 2025
Noun
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As a film nerd with a 37-inch vertical, Nique Clifford only borrows from the best.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
24 June 2025
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Music supervisor is a job that is part professional music nerd, part aural detective and part crate-digging business affairs exec.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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But they were clearly impressed by his scholarship and writing skills, which are the principal criteria for grading academic papers.—
Bob Shaw,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 June 2025
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The reality of climate anxiety is strongly supported by academic research.—
Simi Thambi,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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Although it's not specifically built to focus on the inner solar system, its special twilight observing campaigns might be able to catch some of these hidden asteroids.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
24 June 2025
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To be self-reliant is to choose the inner vision over outer noise.—
Dr. Adil Dalal,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
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Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
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Wagner would be a sleepless highbrow’s favorite; the long, lush, unbroken lines of music share with the white-noise hum of the air-conditioner or the thrum of the painstaking lecture the quality of being absorbing without offering undue eventfulness.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Schomburg Center has long been the heart of Harlem’s ongoing Renaissance—from the 1920s until the present moment —the neighborhood teems with an energy of artistic and scholarly abundance that, in turn, shapes political and cultural discourse not just in New York City but across the country.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 June 2025
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Much of the design was informed by a 25-page scholarly paper on how to govern such a city, written by a professor of sociology specifically for the show.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2025
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The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon which is characterized by feelings of energy depletion, increased mental distance from one's job, and reduced professional efficacy.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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