1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

intellect

noun

ˈin-tə-ˌlekt How to pronounce intellect (audio)
Definition of intellectnext
1
as in genius
a very smart person one of the finest intellects of our time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intelligence
the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems a child of great intellect as well as artistic talent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of intellect Here was a juicy alleged scandal involving two big names, a public intellectual and an actor publicly known for her intellect. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 Our embodied experience often notices shifts before our intellect explains them. — Angela Cusack, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 According to Herrera, her fascination stemmed from Trotsky’s revolutionary stature, intellect, and commanding presence. — Literary Hub, 28 July 2026 Temilola Adeoye, a comedian, writer and content creator in New York City,attributes this behavior to shortcomings in intellect and literacy — or to a desire to have one’s intellect validated by others. — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for intellect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellect
  1. genius
  2. intelligence
  3. wizard
  4. sense
  5. brain
  6. reason
  7. thinker
Noun
  • Listen, Mark is a genius choreographer and always knows how to make his partners look good regardless of skill level, but come on, some of this is just because Maura is a good dancer!
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The latter has earned raves for her turn as a math genius stuck under the thumb of an abusive boyfriend (and an academic system designed to ignore and exploit her).
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of genius
Noun
  • Our current architecture estimates suggest that separating deterministic execution from runtime intelligence could reduce expected token consumption by around 90% compared with initial approaches.
    — Nitin Gupta, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • From our first conversations, Jon blew us away with his intelligence and deep creative insights about how to craft great stories.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of intelligence
Noun
  • Newcomer Dominic McLaughlin stars as Harry Potter, the 11-year old wizard previously brought to life by Daniel Radcliffe.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Harry must find the courage to prove himself against the darkest wizard of all.
    — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of wizard
Noun
  • Bieber and Gausman are the two names on this list that make the most sense to bring back.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Karrahboooo’s flow, kind of like Veeze or Lucki, manages to feel both laid back and conversational and deeply and intricately rhythmic, an almost enchanting combination made more potent by Karrahbooo’s almost dance-leaning sense of melody.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of sense
Noun
  • Casey wanted to pick the UConn coach’s brain about college coaching and college pitching talent, since a former Husky, Rollie Sheldon, had a big rookie season for the Yankees in ’61.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Ketogenic therapy works by changing the brain’s fuel source, Scher explains.
    — Kelly Rogers Victor, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of brain
Noun
  • This year’s Emmy Awards opening was sponsored by Marriott Hotels, for some reason.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Many believe that the reason the good opportunities have seemingly disappeared is because the market is too crowded.
    — Justin Donald, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of reason
Noun
  • Edward Said, the late Palestinian literary and cultural critic, academic and fierce defender of his people, tells his story in his own words — an apt choice for a film about an intellectual thinker.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Annie Dillard, the masterful stylist and brilliant thinker, has died at 81.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of thinker

Browse Nearby Words

integrity
intellect
intellection
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intellect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellect. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All