as in nerds
a person with strong intellectual interests
discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 intellectuals
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
The first National Conservatism conferences drew students and intellectuals who felt marginalized by the Republican Party and dreamed about taking power.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
From the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival to the Martha’s Vineyard Black Book Festival and everything in between, Black intellectuals are coming together to share notes and swap contacts to forge new relationships and invest in each other.
—Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
For American politicians and intellectuals alike, criticizing Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank or questioning America’s support for Israel has become dangerous, all too often incurring charges of antisemitism.
—Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
There were radicals, activists, intellectuals as well as common criminals, the usual power brokers, and always a mob lurking in the background.
—Phil Terrana, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2025
During the Cold War, political parties, trade unions, intellectuals, civil-society organizations, and even religious leaders forged transnational ties in defense of democratic ideas—remember the AFL-CIO’s embrace of Poland’s Solidarity movement?
—Michael McFaul, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 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
The first National Conservatism conferences drew students and intellectuals who felt marginalized by the Republican Party and dreamed about taking power.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
From the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival to the Martha’s Vineyard Black Book Festival and everything in between, Black intellectuals are coming together to share notes and swap contacts to forge new relationships and invest in each other.
—Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
For American politicians and intellectuals alike, criticizing Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank or questioning America’s support for Israel has become dangerous, all too often incurring charges of antisemitism.
—Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
There were radicals, activists, intellectuals as well as common criminals, the usual power brokers, and always a mob lurking in the background.
—Phil Terrana, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2025
During the Cold War, political parties, trade unions, intellectuals, civil-society organizations, and even religious leaders forged transnational ties in defense of democratic ideas—remember the AFL-CIO’s embrace of Poland’s Solidarity movement?
—Michael McFaul, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectuals
Noun
-
But hey, whiskey nerds are gonna whiskey nerd and whiskey sellers are gonna gouge.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Sure, there will always be some people who care, just as today there are nerds like me willing to debate the merits of writing for the Z80 versus the 6502 8-bit CPUs.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The air is getting chilly, the leaves are starting to turn, and Oscar geeks are analyzing the buzz out of Venice, Telluride, and Toronto like tea leaves at the bottom of a mug — that’s right, Oscar season is here.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Refocusing On Long-Term Results As the marketing pendulum inevitably swings from domination by spreadsheet-wielding geeks to marketing by creative brand-builders, companies will realize that they have been overly focused on short-term results.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectuals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectuals. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share