as in nerds
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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Recent Examples of intellectuals
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
The Soviets were accused of international war crimes consisting of the mass murder of thousands of Polish military officers and intellectuals in the spring of 1940 in a forest near Smolensk in the Soviet Union.
—Chicago Tribune, 15 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
The property was originally built by a philosopher and theologian as a retreat for artists and intellectuals, and is now famous for hosting the G7 summit in 2015 and 2022.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Although other Russian intellectuals have called for Ukraine’s incorporation into the Russian Federation, none have done so for quite so long, or with such a murderous tone, as Dugin.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Like many eighteenth century intellectuals, Court de Gébelin was obsessed with the occult wisdom of pharaonic Egypt, traces of which were seen in the excavations of colonial archaeologists.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Mishra loves to mine the writings of postwar Jewish intellectuals for a damning quote—a racist protagonist in a Saul Bellow novel is one of his primary data points—but he can’t be bothered to cite the present-day leaders of Jewish organizations.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025
So hoped some intellectuals during the Enlightenment who saw the nation as a carrier of a universalist spirit.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Phil Terrana, Baltimore Sun, 20 Mar. 2025
The Soviets were accused of international war crimes consisting of the mass murder of thousands of Polish military officers and intellectuals in the spring of 1940 in a forest near Smolensk in the Soviet Union.
—Chicago Tribune, 15 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
The property was originally built by a philosopher and theologian as a retreat for artists and intellectuals, and is now famous for hosting the G7 summit in 2015 and 2022.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Although other Russian intellectuals have called for Ukraine’s incorporation into the Russian Federation, none have done so for quite so long, or with such a murderous tone, as Dugin.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Like many eighteenth century intellectuals, Court de Gébelin was obsessed with the occult wisdom of pharaonic Egypt, traces of which were seen in the excavations of colonial archaeologists.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
Mishra loves to mine the writings of postwar Jewish intellectuals for a damning quote—a racist protagonist in a Saul Bellow novel is one of his primary data points—but he can’t be bothered to cite the present-day leaders of Jewish organizations.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025
So hoped some intellectuals during the Enlightenment who saw the nation as a carrier of a universalist spirit.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectuals
nerds
Noun
-
But among whiskey nerds, Bushmills is best known for its single malts.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Fair to say that the Ichiban has already accomplished its primary objective of getting moto nerds to drool over it on their phone screens – even though there is little likelihood that it will be built as it is envisioned.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectuals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectuals. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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