Definition of intellectual
- intellectual games
- intellectual playwrights
the social and intellectual life of the campus
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
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.
15th century
cerebral, eggheaded, geeky, highbrow, highbrowed, intellectualistic, nerdish, nerdy;
ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered, unread;
dumb, foolish, idiotic (also idiotical), moronic, slow, stupid, unintelligent;
erudite, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read;
academic (also academical), bookish, professorial;
didactic, high-toned, hyperintellectual, pedantic;
brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, intelligent, quick-witted, smart;
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
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.
1599
: 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
: a smart person who enjoys serious study and thought : an intellectual person
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for intellectual Spanish Central: Translation of intellectual Nglish: Translation of intellectual for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of intellectual for Arabic speakers
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