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
an·ti-in·tel·lec·tu·al·ism
¦an-tē-ˌin-tə-¦lek-chə-(wə-)-ˌli-zəm
-ˈlek-shwə-,
¦an-ˌtī-
plural -s
1
: the philosophic attitude or doctrine that assigns intellect or reason to a subordinate place or denies the power of intellect to grasp the true nature of things compare bergsonism
2
: hostility toward or suspicion of intellectuals : hostility toward inquiring, speculative, or academic habits of thought
reflected trends toward anti-intellectualism by cutting the university's budget—
Richard Schickel
Richard SchickelExamples of anti-intellectual in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
Trump proved to be a vexing ideological lodestar—aggressively anti-intellectual in his attitudes and consistently inconsistent in his views.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Its popularity is improbable by virtue of its unapologetic intellectualism, increasingly alien in a highly anti-intellectual era.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
In the year 2505, protagonist Joe Bauers wakes up from hibernation to discover an America dominated by corporations and led by profoundly anti-science and anti-intellectual politicians.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
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
Who will be the next university president forced to resign or be fired because of a pro-Palestinian campus protest or because of a linguistic trap set by anti-intellectual members of Congress who demand fealty of all students and faculty in support of Israel’s aggressive bombing of Gaza?
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
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Adjective
So the military ethos under Trump is aggressively anti-intellectual.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
Trump proved to be a vexing ideological lodestar—aggressively anti-intellectual in his attitudes and consistently inconsistent in his views.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Its popularity is improbable by virtue of its unapologetic intellectualism, increasingly alien in a highly anti-intellectual era.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
In the year 2505, protagonist Joe Bauers wakes up from hibernation to discover an America dominated by corporations and led by profoundly anti-science and anti-intellectual politicians.
—Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 2026
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
Who will be the next university president forced to resign or be fired because of a pro-Palestinian campus protest or because of a linguistic trap set by anti-intellectual members of Congress who demand fealty of all students and faculty in support of Israel’s aggressive bombing of Gaza?
—Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Anti-intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-intellectual. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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