intellectual

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

|Updated on: 20 Jun 2018

Examples: intellectual in a Sentence

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

And there are dangers of wishful thinking in believing such a world was ever successful in meeting the fundamental range of human needs — our emotional, material and intellectual needs.

— brian o’connor, Time, "Why Doing Nothing Is One of the Most Important Things You Can Do," 15 June 2018
Unlike Colombia’s other rebel groups, the M-19 garnered a significant amount of early support from the left-leaning intellectual elite.

— danielle gilbert, Washington Post, "Will Colombia’s next president be a former left-wing guerrilla?," 15 June 2018
Upgrade's smooth turn into intellectual provocation may be the most surprising thing about it.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Upgrade is so derivative, it’s original," 14 June 2018
The president has been threatening tariffs against China since US officials concluded that Beijing abuses American intellectual-property rights.

— andrew mayeda, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump said to shape China tariff list to focus more on high tech," 14 June 2018
The president has been threatening tariffs against China since U.S. officials concluded that Beijing abuses American intellectual-property rights.

— justin sink, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Approves Tariffs on $50 Billion of Chinese Goods," 14 June 2018
Over time, more people cited money as the main motivation for attending college (rather than intellectual enrichment).

— The Economist, "Does inequality cause suicide, drug abuse and mental illness?," 14 June 2018
In the days prior, the possibility of a three-second kiss turned into a game of intellectual seesaw.

— dana lee, Indianapolis Star, "Northwest senior battles depression, bullying to emerge as valedictorian," 11 June 2018
The movement made intense intellectual contributions, as a generation of black Catholic activist-scholars challenged the unspoken but ever-present assumption that white ways of being Catholic were the right ways to be Catholic.

— Smithsonian, "The History of Black Catholics in America," 8 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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intellectual Synonyms

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