as in literati
intellectuals considered as a social class
a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others
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Recent Examples of intelligentsia
Popular opinion was also shaped by an overwhelmingly left-leaning intelligentsia created and shaped by the long national struggle against European imperialism.
—
Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
This connects to how the intelligentsia used to say AI art could never replace human art.
—James Barrat, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
All or nothing For most of the Russian nationalist intelligentsia, Alaska is less a jewel to be recovered than a warning against any concession to the West.
—Dan Morrison, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Dipping Toes in Populist Waters Mr. Hawley belongs to a conservative intelligentsia that includes Oren Cass, the influential founder and chief economist of the think tank American Compass.
—Robert Draper, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
This connects to how the intelligentsia used to say AI art could never replace human art.
—James Barrat, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
All or nothing For most of the Russian nationalist intelligentsia, Alaska is less a jewel to be recovered than a warning against any concession to the West.
—Dan Morrison, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Dipping Toes in Populist Waters Mr. Hawley belongs to a conservative intelligentsia that includes Oren Cass, the influential founder and chief economist of the think tank American Compass.
—Robert Draper, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligentsia
Noun
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The shooting-range event came after the conclusion of a congress of the Korean Workers’ Party, a largely rubber-stamp political gathering of the nation’s elite, where Kim’s leadership was reaffirmed by unanimous vote.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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Those myths were conveyed through performance, sung in the great halls of the elite, recited at festivals all across the ancient world, staged at the theatre to large audiences, and displayed on wall paintings, mosaics, vases, and sculptures that adorned both sacred sanctuaries and city-states.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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They are ruled by a grizzled and sclerotic clerisy that funnels resources to its private army, the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).—
Matthew Continetti,
National Review,
24 Sep. 2022
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Democrats and the public-health clerisy denounced President Trump for rushing Covid vaccines.—
Allysia Finley,
WSJ,
4 Sep. 2022
Noun
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Under the bill, the Indiana Department of Correction will provide training to all sheriffs-elect on how to cooperate with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
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Chile's President-elect Jose Antonio Kast speaks to journalists after meeting with the Italian Prime Minister at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on Febuary 5, 2026.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligentsia. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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