intellectualism

noun

in·tel·lec·tu·al·ism | \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wə-ˌli-zəm

, -chə-ˌli-, -shwə-ˌli-, -chü(-ə)-ˌli-\

Definition of intellectualism

: devotion to the exercise of intellect or to intellectual pursuits

Other Words from intellectualism Example Sentences Learn More about intellectualism

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Other Words from intellectualism

intellectualist \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wə-list

, -chə-list , -shwə-list , -chü(-ə)-list \ noun or adjective

intellectualistic \ ˌin-tə-ˌlek-chə-wə-ˈli-stik

, -chə-ˈli- , -shwə-ˈli- , -chü(-ə)-ˈli- \ adjective

Examples of intellectualism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Internet and social media have stripped those once regarded as experts of much of their authority, and has in turn empowered non-experts, those who parade anti-intellectualism as a virtue and even as a strength. — Adam Shatz, The New York Review of Books, "‘Orientalism,’ Then and Now," 20 May 2019 Image Fueled from the top and fed by social media, anti-intellectualism challenges the core of higher education. — New York Times, "What’s the Biggest Challenge for Colleges and Universities?," 5 June 2018 Of course, anti-intellectualism has been brewing before tweets; well before the days when my 12-year-old nephew and the president joined forces to weigh in on crucial world issues. — New York Times, "What’s the Biggest Challenge for Colleges and Universities?," 5 June 2018 His education in various Central American seminaries had been wide, but intellectualism seemed, to him, a foreign thing. — The Economist, "Obituary: Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, the first cardinal from Central America," 23 June 2018 Miller writes that Jamison’s intellectualism and interest in story-telling form a barrier to the truth—to understanding how that very interest resembles, and indeed drives, her substance abuse. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "The Big, Bad Truth of Michelle Tea," 16 May 2018 His image is one of ironic self-awareness and near-compulsive intellectualism. — Michael Friedrich, The New Republic, "Men and Apparitions Dissects A Male Feminist’s Crisis," 9 Apr. 2018 This is all embedded in a larger discussion about conspiracy theorists and the dangers of anti-intellectualism. — Alex Wong, GQ, "What a Filmmaker Learned from Taking Flat Earthers Seriously," 4 June 2018 The Suicide of the West is a book that can only be taken seriously by people from whom ideas matter less than the idea of ideas mattering; that is, for whom intellectualism is an exercise in branding and PR. — Park Macdougald, Daily Intelligencer, "The Idea-Free Book That Has the Right Excited About Ideas," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intellectualism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.