1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mental
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Dave Schilling
contributing
follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Despite its robust cultural and academic scenes, Los Angeles doesn’t have a particular reputation as an intellectual city—blame it on ‘80s movies and reality TV, but the bleach blonde-and-himbo reputation precedes it.
—Maxwell Williams, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Huxley might easily have written a simpler novel glorifying intellectuals while mocking Stoyte’s greed and indifference to suffering.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Browne is intellectual, playful, cheeky — the domain of schoolboy dreams and art world fancy.
—Dave Schilling
contributing
follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
Despite its robust cultural and academic scenes, Los Angeles doesn’t have a particular reputation as an intellectual city—blame it on ‘80s movies and reality TV, but the bleach blonde-and-himbo reputation precedes it.
—Maxwell Williams, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 June 2026
Noun
Réveille also interviewed Régis Debray, an author and leftist intellectual who supported Che.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Huxley might easily have written a simpler novel glorifying intellectuals while mocking Stoyte’s greed and indifference to suffering.
—Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
-
When Mamdani meets The Athletic, however, even more cerebral matters are at play.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
This extends to the series as well, which, refreshingly, forgoes the usual guns and gore for a more wholesome, cerebral, and darkly comedic take on the genre.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
While the ghost stories dominate popular culture, the site also provides a window into the evolving history of mental-health care and institutional medicine.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
-
Not everyone is as laudatory of the president’s age and mental acuity.—
Linda Marx,
PEOPLE,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Amari also rounded up Juneteenth events across the Charlotte region for 2026, packed with festivals, parades, vendors and educational programming.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
15 June 2026
-
For decades, the US offered African governments a package combining aid, security cooperation, educational exchanges, and diplomatic engagement.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
There was a Queen Bee, a loudmouth, a nerd, a jock, and more than a few basket cases.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Last year's Canadian Open was a birdie-fest and ball-knowers, aka golf course nerds, are dragging TPC Toronto, calling it lifeless and uninspiring.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Newton reportedly stole a computer, and there were allegations of academic misconduct.—
Mac Engel
June 15,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
-
That letter has now been signed by about 100 cybersecurity professionals from companies including Nvidia, Adobe, Zoom, Google, Anaplan, and Sophos, as well as some academic cybersecurity researchers.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The film tells the true story of former Facebook engineer Frances Haugen (Madison) and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (White), whose reporting exposed the company’s internal research and decision-making.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
Vallejo’s Broadway Project finished years late and massively over budget after contractor failures and internal disputes.—
Michele Steeb,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
The women had been close friends while studying for their doctorates some years earlier, but Catherine has since grown resentful of Leonora’s career, and dismissive of women whose scholarly ambitions come before marital subservience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Astrology, a pursuit that hovers in the nebulous space between science and storytelling, is not exactly a robust academic field, and LaFaive had no scholarly studies of Goodman’s life or work to consult.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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