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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intelligentsia
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
The Russian intelligentsia had once admired Ukraine, seeing in it the birthplace of the Muscovite dynasty and Orthodoxy.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
The president’s hobbling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Labor Relations Board has upset the promoters of his domestic agenda in the intelligentsia, while his Gaza proposal has left many of his neo-isolationist boosters scrambling—or sidestepping the subject entirely.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025
Nine months into a war that shows little sign of ending, the mood among the pro-Western intelligentsia in Russia is dark.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Robert Draper, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The Russian intelligentsia had once admired Ukraine, seeing in it the birthplace of the Muscovite dynasty and Orthodoxy.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
The president’s hobbling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Labor Relations Board has upset the promoters of his domestic agenda in the intelligentsia, while his Gaza proposal has left many of his neo-isolationist boosters scrambling—or sidestepping the subject entirely.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025
Nine months into a war that shows little sign of ending, the mood among the pro-Western intelligentsia in Russia is dark.
—Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligentsia
Noun
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But the immediacy of One Battle After Another—with its ICE-like detention camps, unlawful militias storming American streets, and elites who promote white supremacy in closed-door meetings—was intended to embellish the spirit of Vineland rather than undermine it.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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These upper-crust elites are ones we’re meant, at the end of the day, to sympathize with and root for.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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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Here's what to know about Adelita Grijalva, the representative-elect from Arizona's 7th Congressional District.—
Laura Gersony,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva is on track to outperform former Vice President Kamala Harris by double digits in the special election to replace her late father, former Representative Raul Grijalva.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligentsia. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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