intellectual

play

adjective in·tel·lec·tu·al \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl , -chəl , -shwəl , -chü(-ə)l \

Definition of intellectual

1 a :of or relating to the intellect or its use

b :developed or chiefly guided by the intellect rather than by emotion or experience :rational

c :requiring use of the intellect

intellectual games

2 a :given to study, reflection, and speculation

b :engaged in activity requiring the creative use of the intellect

intellectual playwrights

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intellectuality

play \ˌin-tə-ˌlek-chə-ˈwa-lə-tē\ noun

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intellectually

play \ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wə-lē, -chə-lē, -shwə-lē, -chü(-ə)-lē\ adverb

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intellectualness

play \ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl-nəs, -chəl-, -shwəl-, -chü(-ə)l-\ noun

See intellectual defined for English-language learners

See intellectual defined for kids

Examples of intellectual in a Sentence

the social and intellectual life of the campus
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people

Recent Examples of intellectual from the Web

Here, universities have some comparative advantage over think tanks because of tenure, which provides a less risky way for employees to protest university funding priorities that might damage intellectual credibility.

— henry farrell, Washington Post, "A liberal think tank has just pushed out an employee who criticized Google. That’s worrying.," 30 Aug. 2017
Schedule nights during the week — eating dinner, seeing a movie, having intellectual discourse, etc.

— christen a. johnson, chicagotribune.com, "How to confront your partner about spending too much time with friends," 29 Aug. 2017
For anyone watching these past six months in office, or the campaign that preceded it, the tire fire of anti-intellectual narcissism that was Trump’s Phoenix speech was about as surprising as guac costing extra.

— lauren duca, Teen Vogue, "Read This From a Teleprompter: Donald Trump Is Unfit to Serve," 24 Aug. 2017
Rereading it now, The Secret History captures the fantasy of intellectual activity at its most satisfying.

— anna silman, The Cut, "The Secret History Is Still the Book I Recommend to Everyone," 24 Aug. 2017
Neither should anyone whose movement’s intellectual progenitor is Margaret Sanger.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "The Alt-Right Carries on Margaret Sanger’s Legacy of Eugenics," 22 Aug. 2017
And now, per Axios, this is happening: President Trump is considering an aggressive step against China over its theft of U.S. intellectual property and China’s other industrial policies that harm American companies.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Beijing Is Back on Trump’s Bad Side," 2 Aug. 2017
A husband-wife partnership When the 26-year-old Morandi married artist and wax sculptor Giovanni Manzolini in 1740, Bologna was undergoing a resurgence of intellectual ascendancy.

— leila mcneill, Smithsonian, "The Lady Anatomist Who Brought Dead Bodies to Light," 26 July 2017
There was Marvel Girl's transformation into Phoenix (from the weakest to the strongest member of the X-Men) and founding Avengers member Wasp's sudden intellectual prowess.

— sam maggs, Marie Claire, "A Feminist Ranking of Female Superheroes," 25 July 2017

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

First Known Use of intellectual

15th century

intellectual Synonyms

Synonyms

blue, cerebral, eggheaded, geeky, highbrow, highbrowed, intellectualist, intellectualistic, long-haired (or longhair), nerdish, nerdy

Antonyms

anti-intellectual, lowbrow, nonintellectual, philistine

Related Words

cultivated, cultured; middlebrow; erudite, learned, literate, polyhistoric, polymath (or polymathic), scholarly, well-read; academic (also academical), bookish, professorial; didactic, high-toned, hyperintellectual, pedantic; high-hat, snobbish, snobby, snooty; educated, schooled; brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, quick-witted, smart

Near Antonyms

uncultivated, uncultured; ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered, unread; dumb, foolish, idiotic (also idiotical), moronic, slow, stupid, unintelligent; benighted, unenlightened

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

intellectual

noun

Definition of intellectual

1 intellectuals plural, archaic :intellectual powers

2 :an intellectual person

See intellectual defined for English-language learners

Examples of intellectual in a Sentence

He thinks that he's an intellectual, but he doesn't know what he's talking about.
She's a hard worker but she's no great intellectual.
a café where artists and intellectuals mingle

Recent Examples of intellectual from the Web

In 1959, when Mr. Wang was in elementary school, his father was sent to a labor camp as part of Mao’s campaign to purge counterrevolutionary intellectuals.

— amy qin, New York Times, "When Self-Criticism Was an Order, These Portraits Were Revolutionary," 19 Aug. 2017
The second factor was fear of communism, which led many leading intellectuals to embrace fascism as a bulwark against Bolshevism and as the lesser of two evils.

— seva gunitsky, Washington Post, "These are the three reasons fascism spread in 1930s America — and might spread again today," 12 Aug. 2017
Hearing this crowd natter won’t be everyone’s cup of tea; self-important intellectuals will strike some readers as more boring than brainy.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'The Seventh Function of Language' a brainy thriller akin to 'The Name of the Rose'," 10 Aug. 2017
Here are a few key spots to hit: Boston has always drawn history buffs and intellectuals for its important monuments and major universities but for foodies, the city was always a bit lacking.

— CNT, "4 Bucket List Road Trips," 4 Aug. 2017
Scientific American called him a rare scientific public intellectual dedicated to educating the public about science.

— carol connelly, Post-Tribune, "2017 Sinai Forum features six dynamic speakers," 26 July 2017
For years, conservatives reveled in chapping liberals for their sweet-tooth for French intellectuals but, as Green demonstrates, Bannon, while playing in deep right field, has plucked himself a real lulu.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "What's Behind Bannon?," 19 July 2017
Conservative intellectuals make a sharp distinction, at least in theory, between good wealth amassed through pure capitalism and bad wealth obtained by government favoritism.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Social Darwinism Is What Truly Guides Trump," 25 June 2017
And the intellectuals at Manhattan’s all-female club, the Wing.

— allure staff, Allure, "How We're Redefining Beauty in America Today," 22 June 2017

First Known Use of intellectual

1599

intellectual Synonyms

Synonyms

double-dome, egghead, geek, highbrow, intellectualist, longhair, nerd

Antonyms

anti-intellectual, lowbrow, philistine

Related Words

blue, bluestocking; Brahmin, mandarin, sage; intellectualizer, pseud [British]; brain, genius, intellect, thinker, whiz, wizard

Near Antonyms

blockhead, dolt, dope, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, fathead, half-wit, imbecile, moron, nitwit, pinhead, simpleton

INTELLECTUAL Defined for English Language Learners

intellectual

play

adjective

Definition of intellectual for English Language Learners

: of or relating to the ability to think in a logical way
: involving serious study and thought
of a person : smart and enjoying serious study and thought

intellectual

noun

Definition of intellectual for English Language Learners

: a smart person who enjoys serious study and thought : an intellectual person

INTELLECTUAL Defined for Kids

intellectual

play

adjective in·tel·lec·tu·al \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl \

Definition of intellectual for Students

1 :of or relating to thought or understanding

intellectual development

2 :interested in serious study and thought

an intellectual person

3 :requiring study and thought

an intellectual challenge

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intellectually

\-wə-lē\ adverb

intellectual

noun

Definition of intellectual for Students

:a person who takes pleasure in serious study and thought

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Other Psychology Terms

intellectual

Definition of intellectual

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intellectual Synonyms

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INTELLECTUAL Defined for English Language Learners

intellectual

Definition of intellectual for English Language Learners

intellectual

Definition of intellectual for English Language Learners

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intellectual

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intellectually

intellectual

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