intellectual

adjective

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in·tel·lec·tu·al | \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl

, -chəl, -shwəl, -chü(-ə)l \

Definition of intellectual

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : of or relating to the intellect or its use

b : developed or chiefly guided by the intellect rather than by emotion or experience : rational

c : requiring use of the intellect intellectual games

2a : given to study, reflection, and speculation

b : engaged in activity requiring the creative use of the intellect intellectual playwrights

intellectual

noun

Definition of intellectual (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an intellectual person

2 intellectuals plural, archaic : intellectual powers

Other Words from intellectual Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing intellectual Learn More About intellectual

Other Words from intellectual

Adjective

intellectuality \ ˌin-tə-ˌlek-chə-ˈwa-lə-tē

\ noun

intellectually \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wə-lē

, -chə-lē , -shwə-lē , -chü(-ə)-lē \ adverb

intellectualness \ ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl-nəs

, -chəl- , -shwəl- , -chü(-ə)l- \ noun

Examples of intellectual in a Sentence

Adjective the social and intellectual life of the campus as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people Noun He thinks that he's an intellectual, but he doesn't know what he's talking about. She's a hard worker but she's no great intellectual. a café where artists and intellectuals mingle

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective As conservative politics in America gained steam in the 1980s, her voice came to be increasingly heeded by a select group of people in the elite circles of government, academia and intellectual journals. — New York Times, 9 May 2022 Innovation is part of the country’s cultural and intellectual DNA. — Anand Kumar, STAT, 9 May 2022 The intellectual movement emerged in the 1960s out of the pages of Commentary, a previously liberal magazine founded by the American Jewish Committee. — Washington Post, 9 May 2022 Being an outsider must free one’s intellectual juices to be right rather than loyal. Write to kessler@wsj.com. — Andy Kessler, WSJ, 8 May 2022 Their apartment, its walls lined with books and covered with movie posters, bespeaks a life happily devoted to artistic and intellectual pursuits. — Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2022 Influential stories inspire intellectual engagement from the audience. — Stephanie Judd, Forbes, 6 May 2022 The study examined 46 patients six to 10 months after they were hospitalized with the virus and showed a marked decrease in their intellectual capabilities. — Chris Morris, Fortune, 4 May 2022 The group supports adults and youth with developmental and intellectual disabilities. — Roxanne De La Rosa, The Arizona Republic, 1 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The most demanding part of Mann’s Princeton life, however, and that which forms the bulk of Corngold’s book, must have been his activism as a public intellectual. — Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2022 The film’s drama involves her encounter with a middle-aged South Korean intellectual, Jin Lee (John Cho), who helps to awaken her nascent passion for architecture and to find a practical way of developing it. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2022 There are forgivable intellectual and policy errors, and then there’s the self-delusion that has driven the West into its dependence on Vladimir Putin’s oil and gas. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 12 Mar. 2022 Jack is everything Alan isn't: combat expert, casual intellectual, man of substance and advanced sleeper holds. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2022 Stockman, who is having a solo show in June at Almine Rech in London, is the house intellectual, bringing books and articles to the others’ attention. — Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2022 The causes of widespread precarity go back decades (for example, see the national security intellectual Edward Luttwak's prescient 1994 essay). — Samuel Goldman, The Week, 28 Jan. 2022 The ideas marketplace, Drezner explained, arose in the 1990s with the decline of the public intellectual and the rise of the thought leader. — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 28 Oct. 2021 Through this approach, Cale, the intellectual, Reed, the American upstart, and Nico, the exotic icy blonde boho hobo become celebrities as much as pioneers. — Armond White, National Review, 15 Oct. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intellectual.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.