intelligent

adjective

in·tel·li·gent in-ˈte-lə-jənt

Synonyms of intelligent next

: having or indicating a high or satisfactory degree of intelligence and mental capacity

: revealing or reflecting good judgment or sound thought : skillful

: possessing intelligence

: guided or directed by intellect : rational

: guided or controlled by a computer

especially : smart sense 7c compare dumb sense 7

: able to produce printed material from digital signals

an intelligent copier

intelligential

in-ˌte-lə-ˈjen(t)-shəl

adjective

intelligently

in-ˈte-lə-jənt-lē

adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for intelligent

intelligent, clever, alert, quick-witted mean mentally keen or quick.

intelligent stresses success in coping with new situations and solving problems.

an intelligent person could assemble it fast

clever implies native ability or aptness and sometimes suggests a lack of more substantial qualities.

clever with words

alert stresses quickness in perceiving and understanding.

alert to new technology

quick-witted implies promptness in finding answers in debate or in devising expedients in moments of danger or challenge.

no match for his quick-witted opponent

Examples of intelligent in a Sentence

She asked some intelligent questions. He's a hard worker but he's not very intelligent.

Recent Examples on the Web But researchers have long wondered whether the bird species with the best vocal learning skills are also the most intelligent. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2023 Maltese are affectionate, gentle, playful, quite intelligent, and will enjoy snuggling up to you all night. 07 Pekingese Created for Chinese aristocracy and royalty, the Pekingese has famously long locks and adorable flat faces. —

Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 15 Sep. 2023 People were very sweet, very open, and there’s a lot of film lovers there who are very intelligent. —

Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023 Some really intelligent, passionate, good citizens just don’t have the same need for literature and movies anymore. —

Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2023 Most owners are looking for a family dog that’s intelligent and good-natured with a low-shedding coat in their search for a doodle, petMD wrote. —

Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023 Handsome, sensitive and intelligent are all traits Sandra hopes to find in her dream man. —

Amaris Encinas, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Sep. 2023 Plus, Aquarians are intelligent and great problem solvers. —

Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 31 Aug. 2023 There could be dozens, hundreds, thousands of intelligent alien civilizations out there, living on a host of worlds with a technological level meeting or surpassing our own. —

Popular Mechanics, 8 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intelligent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin intelligent-, intelligens, present participle of intelligere, intellegere to understand, from inter- + legere to gather, select — more at legend

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of intelligent was circa 1540

See more words from the same year