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
For now, these ideas mostly live in the political intelligentsia and online far-right hubs.
—
Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
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
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
Ferlinghetti was a veteran both of D-Day, in World War II, and of the left-wing intelligentsia that arose after the war.
—Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 25 Nov. 2025
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
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
Ferlinghetti was a veteran both of D-Day, in World War II, and of the left-wing intelligentsia that arose after the war.
—Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Feb. 2021
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligentsia
Noun
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The backstory The story begins with notorious playboy Huntington Hartford II, heir to the A&P empire, who set out to develop his own resort for the jet-setting elite on what was then known as Hog Island—Hartford successfully petitioned the Bahamian government to change its name.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 May 2026
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Interestingly, Mother has visibly grown more human over her decades of consuming brain fluid, while the elites who drink her blood have grown more monstrous.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 May 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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The Spurs elect to not have a defender impede his vision, using all five of their players to guard the four who were moving about for New York.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
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In this perilous post-republic period of political persecution and violence, the chances are simply too high that the next elect this year will soon become governor.—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligentsia. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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