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 internal
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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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
Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
Your intellectual curiosity prompts you to analyze people and your surroundings.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
But there was a period during China's reform era that some pro-reform intellectuals admired the fact that America's ruling class was proficient in procedures.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Now, people are looking for intellectual stimulation and emotional support and adventure.
—Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
Your intellectual curiosity prompts you to analyze people and your surroundings.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
Both existentialism and absurdism have their appeal and are represented by very cool intellectuals.
—Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
But there was a period during China's reform era that some pro-reform intellectuals admired the fact that America's ruling class was proficient in procedures.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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Comprising a mix of anxiety, cerebral tangents, and a dash of absurdist whimsy, Nancherla’s first full-length special Hopeful Potato, directed by Eliza Skinner, premieres December 15.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
17 Oct. 2025
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My take on Don’t Think is that becoming overly cerebral, stuck exclusively in my head, inhibits flow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The report cited internal documents showing Salesforce pitching itself as a tool to boost hiring for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which seeks to ramp up deportations across the country, and suggesting how AI could help evaluate tips and improve ICE investigations.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
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The Indiana 50501 protest group disbanded due to internal infighting.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And the policies are projected to have far-ranging effects on most areas of business, including a potential loss of hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers in sectors like information and educational and health services.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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Outside, however, the design team was able to take some advantage of the grade change for an educational feature.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Superman and Lex Luthor have technically had a child together for decades in the comics, but as many a gay nerd has joked on the internet this year, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex finally seems like a Lex who would baby-trap Superman.—
James Factora,
Them.,
17 Oct. 2025
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That bourbon, like all subsequent releases, was aged at Camp Nelson, a warehouse site located a few minutes from the distillery that is legendary (among whiskey nerds, at least) for the quality of the bourbon that comes from there.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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By the time the fourth quarter started, Denver trailed 19-0, and the fact that Nix had the team in scoring territory seemed almost academic.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
20 Oct. 2025
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Introducing the item at a board meeting, Staffieri said there’s a need to enhance inclusion and belonging in support of academic success, through the training, education, prevention and support services that the NCRC can provide.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Participants will receive a large pumpkin, carving tools and inspiration for finding their inner artist.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
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My inner spirit jumped back out of me and stood next to the judge at the bench.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
Adjective
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Check back on the second Monday of every month for a new puzzle built on clues connected to scholarly articles available via JSTOR.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Rarely does a 29-page scholarly paper merit the attention of top-level executives, but every business leader should be familiar with a recent study from OpenAI.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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