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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intellectual
Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 28 July 2025
Earlier this year, Columbia had already agreed to a series of concessions — among them a ban on wearing masks on campus, the empowerment of police to make arrests, and putting the Department of Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies under intellectual receivership.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 July 2025
Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Hughes—economist, former English major, Harvard roommate of Mark Zuckerberg turned multimillionaire after selling his Facebook stock, and public intellectual—brings a storyteller’s instinct to a traditionally arid subject.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Weigh the pros and cons of each opportunity under the intellectual full moon in Aquarius on August 9.
—Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 28 July 2025
Earlier this year, Columbia had already agreed to a series of concessions — among them a ban on wearing masks on campus, the empowerment of police to make arrests, and putting the Department of Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies under intellectual receivership.
—The Editors, National Review, 28 July 2025
Noun
Another came to associate with veteran pro-reform officials and intellectuals.
—Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
Hughes—economist, former English major, Harvard roommate of Mark Zuckerberg turned multimillionaire after selling his Facebook stock, and public intellectual—brings a storyteller’s instinct to a traditionally arid subject.
—Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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This was the height of San Sebastian’s reign as the European city with the most Michelin stars per capita—an era of relentless invention, experimentation and cerebral modernist cuisine.—
Ann Abel,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
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Rarely will the path to any one gem require heavy thought or planning; the game’s more concerned about making sure the physical actions required to get to the destination feel more satisfying than any cerebral solutions.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
16 July 2025
Adjective
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The remaining portions are $55 million, which has been deferred, and $45 million for performance obligations to improve its internal vehicle recall operations.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
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The dust-up is the latest volley in the Texas Republican Party's internal strife over who should succeed GOP Speaker Dade Phelan, who late last year dropped his bid for a third term at the helm of the House.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Noun
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Catchers need breaks, and regression is every baseball nerd’s favorite word.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
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Showrunner Tony Tost was truly an angel, and everyone on board were such freak-ass nerds about TV and cinema, and were so excited to share all these reference points with me, like Colombo.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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Ruiz said being able to advance academic achievement and community involvement in a city like Milwaukee, with high poverty rates and racial achievement gaps, is remarkable and can help elevate education citywide.—
Mia Thurow,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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The program is packed with fan-favorite talent, panels, game tournaments, movie screenings, academic and legal sessions, and meetups.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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Yep, that was the tiniest hint at Conrad’s inner monologue.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
30 July 2025
-
Embrace your inner Nancy Meyers and opt for a coastal-leaning, pinstriped photo mat.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
30 July 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
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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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This family journey deeply shaped Fisher’s lifelong scholarly drive to chronicle the struggles and the triumphs of Black communities in the American West.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 July 2025
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Of course, the sort of collection that attracts scholarly attention tends toward the rare and precious rather than Izod alligators.—
Libby Buck
July 1,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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This definition also includes instance in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (include due to the influence of drugs or alcohol) or because of age.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Apr. 2025
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Without supervision or regulation, kids can easily stumble upon explicit material, including violent and extremist content, that can lead to mental distress, desensitization and a warped perception of the world around them.—
Richard Wistocki,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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