intelligentsia

noun

in·​tel·​li·​gent·​sia in-ˌte-lə-ˈjen(t)-sē-ə  -ˈgen(t)- 

: intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite

Synonyms of intelligentsia

• literati
• elite
• clerisy
• elect

Examples of intelligentsia in a Sentence

a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others

Recent Examples on the Web

Their careers were marked by the jockeying for power and position endemic to the hothouse world of the Parisian intelligentsia, as well as by shifting allegiances and fallings out. — Emily Eakin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

With his mother working as a senior official on the Supreme Court and his father as a lawyer, Magyar grew up in the heart of Hungary’s political establishment and intelligentsia. — Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026

Written as a response to the utopian fiction that consumed Russia’s intelligentsia at the time, Notes from Underground is a mirror that reflects the ugliest, most pitiful aspects of humanity back at us. — Big Think, 29 Apr. 2026

Until recently, Liu was a noisy member of the Chinese intelligentsia, with little influence in politics. — Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Russian intelligentsiya, from Latin intelligentia intelligence

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

intelligentsia

noun

in·​tel·​li·​gen·​tsia

in-ˌtel-ə-ˈjen(t)-sē-ə, 

-ˈgen(t)-

: intellectuals as a group : educated people