1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mental
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
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3
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level
research that shows that people from very intellectual backgrounds are happiest with spouses having comparable educations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests
discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intellectual
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
This starts with intellectual rigor and time studying the various areas of law the Supreme Court touches.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
Institutions like the Encyclopædia Britannica speak to the spirit that helped create an environment where intellectuals like them could flourish.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Minimalism continues to evolve into a more intellectual approach to tailoring.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026
This starts with intellectual rigor and time studying the various areas of law the Supreme Court touches.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
Noun
For four hours, the group of artists and intellectuals – many of whom had not seen each other in fifty years – reminisced, critiqued, argued, laughed and drank while wrestling with their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
Institutions like the Encyclopædia Britannica speak to the spirit that helped create an environment where intellectuals like them could flourish.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
-
The Rays have never put an emphasis on getting a lot of offensive production out of a catcher, instead choosing to prioritize good defense and a cerebral approach to calling pitches.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Feb. 2026
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More cerebral than emotive, Shiffrin had not been one to speak her thoughts into existence.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Even study or doing a mental journey of some kind will interest you and satisfy your crave for excitement.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Feb. 2026
-
As with every person who has his name on a book, Mercer was enthusiastic about its content and a simple message of how someone can get through the day without falling victim to drugs, alcohol and the various forms of mental torture.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Critics warn the transfers will confuse schools and harm students, arguing agencies lack educational expertise.—
Annie Ma,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Rachel Gittleman, the union's president, said moving programs for schools to places without the right educational expertise will create confusion, not efficiency.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
An array of charts buried in the fine print of the state budget, unknown to all but a few fiscal nerds, details what California has collected in revenues and spent over the last half-century.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
17 Feb. 2026
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For the heartfelt poster nerd, this is where collecting grows most focussed, in the pursuit of works by an individual artist.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And in December, some recipients of the Promise Neighborhoods and Full-Service Community Schools grants, which pay for academic and after-school enrichment opportunities for students, were notified that their funding would not continue in 2026, bringing much of their work to a sudden halt.—
Annie Ma,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The following Naperville residents have completed college/university degrees or have been named to their school’s dean’s list, honor roll or similar academic achievement list.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
After Clark stepped down on Tuesday because an internal investigation unearthed an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, the union announced on Wednesday that Meyer will take over on an interim basis entering a pivotal year for the future of the sport.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Lanier presented internal documents that seemed to contradict that statement.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Internal decision-making can become polarized, funding relationships strained, and exhibitions evaluated through ideological lenses rather than scholarly merit.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The fact that Katherine had been institutionalized may have tainted her scholarly reputation.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Wagner would be a sleepless highbrow’s favorite; the long, lush, unbroken lines of music share with the white-noise hum of the air-conditioner or the thrum of the painstaking lecture the quality of being absorbing without offering undue eventfulness.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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