1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Beneath the measured pace of transactions — collectors more cautious, galleries recalibrating, auction houses tempering expectations — the intellectual and aesthetic stakes of contemporary art feel newly urgent.
—Andrew S. Jacobson, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In it, a group of Catholic intellectuals discussed a new school opening in Steubenville, Ohio.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Every time a major production cost collapsed, the organizations that competed on upstream intellectual assets outperformed the ones that competed on production efficiency.
—Sanjay Srivastava, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
Beneath the measured pace of transactions — collectors more cautious, galleries recalibrating, auction houses tempering expectations — the intellectual and aesthetic stakes of contemporary art feel newly urgent.
—Andrew S. Jacobson, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2026
Noun
The purchase seems preordained, given that both Gert-Jan and Corinne, like Pascon and Boccara, are lively and curious intellectuals.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
In it, a group of Catholic intellectuals discussed a new school opening in Steubenville, Ohio.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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The son of a Scottish immigrant, McCluskie had a reputation as a political street fighter and his gruff style complemented Becerra’s more measured, cerebral approach.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
For instance, the love planet Venus spends the first half of the month in the curious, playful and loquacious sign of Gemini, making attraction more cerebral than physical.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Her character’s mental unraveling was mirrored in real life when Lasser, at the height of her celebrity and just weeks after Mary’s breakdown episode aired, hosted Saturday Night Live.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
On top of that, there is a serious mental component.—
Nicole Williams,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
According to data from FertilityIQ, an educational platform for individuals and couples navigating infertility and family building, the average cost of IVF treatment and medication is more than $20,000.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
In the education building on the side of the past, visitors enter a classroom decorated with historical photos of educational hubs of Rondo.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
This is a must-do for botany nerds seeking a nature fix.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
And the Model 3 appealed to tech nerds because it was packed with software-upgradeable tech like Autopilot and FSD.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Analysts have tried to forecast how much academic carnage will result from this demographic bind.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
In a stunning rebuke, the Board of Governors rejected his appointment, forcing UF to restart the search and deepening concerns among faculty and alumni that ideological alignment now outweighs academic credentials in Florida university leadership.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Saum Poorsaleh, complaints triggered the internal affairs investigation.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
Liberal influencers are publicly questioning Martin's refusal to release an internal report on the party's failures.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
The individual who once grappled with learning disabilities emerged into a scholarly critical thinker.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
For most of his life, Mojtaba was not regarded as a religious scholar of significant theological authority or scholarly distinction.—
Hamidreza Azizi,
Time,
9 May 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 19 May. 2026.
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