Synonyms of intelligence

intelligence

noun

in-ˈte-lə-jən(t)s 

1

as in intellect

the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems

high scores on this test supposedly demonstrate great intelligence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intellect
• sense
• reason
• intellectuality
• talent
• smarts
• brainpower
• brain(s)
• aptitude
• mentality
• wit
• gray matter
• wisdom
• insight
• brilliance
• intellectualism
• headpiece
• mind
• acumen
• perception
• astuteness
• braininess
• perspicacity
• alertness
• judgment
• discernment
• apprehension
• sagacity
• percipience
• common sense
• discriminability
• horse sense
• sapience
• mother wit
• highbrowism
• eggheadedness
• skull
• head

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• density
• idiocy
• stupidity
• dumbness
• slowness
• dullness
• imbecility
• feeblemindedness
• foolishness
• denseness
• fatuity
• dopiness
• doltishness
• senselessness
• simpleness
• half-wittedness

2

as in information

a report of recent events or facts not previously known

usually received the latest intelligence about how the war was going

Synonyms & Similar Words

• information
• news
• info
• story
• advice(s)
• item
• tidings
• communication
• announcement
• message
• rumor
• gen
• word
• uncos
• correspondence
• reportage
• dispatch
• bulletin
• tale
• feedback
• tip
• propaganda
• 411
• disinformation
• scoop
• gossip
• tidbit
• dope
• lowdown
• tattle

3

as in wit

exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters

as head of the customer service department, he has handled complaints and disputes with unfailing intelligence and good humor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wit
• insight
• wisdom
• intellect
• acumen
• shrewdness
• astuteness
• canniness
• keenness
• clear-sightedness
• knowingness
• hardheadedness
• caginess
• sense
• perception
• perceptiveness
• sharpness
• perceptivity
• cunning
• sagacity
• foxiness
• discernment
• sapience
• artfulness
• subtlety
• reason
• percipience
• slyness
• sagaciousness
• deviousness
• guile
• sneakiness
• wiliness
• subtleness
• brain(s)
• craftiness
• sageness
• slickness
• gray matter
• craft
• artifice

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• naïveté
• simplicity
• ingenuousness
• innocence
• guilelessness
• artlessness
• unworldliness
• greenness
• unsophistication
• simplemindedness
• naiveness
• simpleness
• density
• stupidity
• obtuseness
• dumbness
• slowness
• foolishness
• mindlessness
• fatuity
• witlessness
• brainlessness
• dopiness
• stupidness
• vacuity
• oafishness
• doltishness
• senselessness
• half-wittedness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of intelligence

At 39, Lionel Messi might not be the best player in the world any more but this was evidence that mileage can be made up for with intelligence. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026

There were no immediate indications yesterday that US intelligence had knowledge of a specific plot that prompted the warning. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

Russia’s forces are taking tens of thousands of casualties, according to independent analysts and Western intelligence assessment. — Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Some officials acknowledge—in private—that politically motivated purges have left the country’s law-enforcement and intelligence agencies understaffed and more prone to mistakes. — Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026