anti-intellectual
adjective
an·ti-in·tel·lec·tu·al
ˌan-tē-ˌin-tə-ˈlek-ch(ə-w)əl 
-ˈlek-shwəl,
ˌan-tī-
: opposing or hostile to intellectuals or to an intellectual view or approach
anti-intellectual
noun
Examples of anti-intellectual in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
If that — and a title font that echoes Woody Allen’s go-to choice of white Windsor Light Condensed over a black background — sets anti-intellectual alarm bells ringing, then this might not be the film for you.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Conservative faculty are almost impossible to find at Harvard, and that absence has created a warped, often anti-intellectual, climate on campus.
—Samuel J. Abrams, National Review, 19 July 2025
The administration in Washington has seized on this time to advance an agenda that is decidedly anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-immigrant, and even anti-democracy.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
This approach serves as a powerful contrast to any hollow, anti-intellectual and culturally bankrupt tyranny.
—Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
But the Library’s decline had begun much earlier, starting with anti-intellectual purges by Ptolemy VIII that predated even the first fire.
—Hannah Edgar, ARTnews.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Lisa develops a crush on him, fueled mainly by her realization that Bergstrom’s sensitivity and love of learning fill needs that her often brutish and anti-intellectual dad isn’t equipped to handle.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
Americans who hold anti-intellectual views were more resistant to vaccinating against COVID in the early days of the pandemic; more likely to believe that climate change is not human-caused; and more likely to express misperceptions about macroeconomic performance.
—Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
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Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Conservative faculty are almost impossible to find at Harvard, and that absence has created a warped, often anti-intellectual, climate on campus.
—Samuel J. Abrams, National Review, 19 July 2025
The administration in Washington has seized on this time to advance an agenda that is decidedly anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-immigrant, and even anti-democracy.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
This approach serves as a powerful contrast to any hollow, anti-intellectual and culturally bankrupt tyranny.
—Peter Nguyen, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
But the Library’s decline had begun much earlier, starting with anti-intellectual purges by Ptolemy VIII that predated even the first fire.
—Hannah Edgar, ARTnews.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Lisa develops a crush on him, fueled mainly by her realization that Bergstrom’s sensitivity and love of learning fill needs that her often brutish and anti-intellectual dad isn’t equipped to handle.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2024
Americans who hold anti-intellectual views were more resistant to vaccinating against COVID in the early days of the pandemic; more likely to believe that climate change is not human-caused; and more likely to express misperceptions about macroeconomic performance.
—Matt Motta, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anti-intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-intellectual. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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