intelligent
Americanadjective
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having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals.
an intelligent student.
- Synonyms:
- bright
- Antonyms:
- stupid
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displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment.
an intelligent reply.
- Antonyms:
- stupid
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having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence.
intelligent beings in outer space.
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Computers. pertaining to the ability to do data processing locally; smart.
An intelligent terminal can edit input before transmission to a host computer.
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Archaic. having understanding or knowledge (usually followed byof ).
adjective
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having or indicating intelligence
-
having high intelligence; clever
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indicating high intelligence; perceptive
an intelligent guess
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guided by reason; rational
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(of computerized functions) able to modify action in the light of ongoing events
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archaic having knowledge or information
they were intelligent of his whereabouts
Synonym Usage
Intelligent, intellectual describe distinctive mental capacity. Intelligent often suggests a natural quickness of understanding: an intelligent reader. Intellectual implies not only having a high degree of understanding, but also a capacity and taste for the higher forms of knowledge: intellectual interests. See sharp.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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semi-intelligentlyadverb
-
hyperintelligentadjective
-
superintelligentadjective
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preintelligentlyadverb
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hyperintelligentlyadverb
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quasi-intelligentadjective
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intelligentlyadverb
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quasi-intelligentlyadverb
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nonintelligentlyadverb
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semi-intelligentadjective
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preintelligentadjective
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nonintelligentadjective
Etymology
Origin of intelligent
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin intelligent- (stem of intelligēns, present participle of intelligere, variant of intellegere “to understand,” literally, “choose between),” equivalent to intel- (variant of inter- inter- ) + -lig- (combining form of leg-, stem of legere “to pick up, choose”; cf. lection) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
Humans? Intelligent! Potted plants? Not so much. Intelligent means smart, or having the ability to process and understand information (including dictionary definitions). Intelligent comes from a Latin word meaning "to understand, to gather," and intelligent creatures gather and make sense of information easily. Intelligent also refers to the ability to think. Intelligent objects, like speakers or software, seem to think in the way they react to change. If we’re looking for intelligent life on Mars, we want Martians who can reason. Intelligent also means showing good judgement, like an intelligent decision not to invite all those Martians to your birthday party.
Vocabulary lists containing intelligent
More Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Fukushima mayor said officials also saw the bear drinking water from a tap, adding it may have turned the handle itself, and describing it as being "extremely intelligent."
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Scott McTominay was at the heart of an intelligent first-half performance before the 4-0 lead and the cavalry coming off the bench made it a bit ragged.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
An "extremely intelligent" bear that injured four people in northern Japan remains at large as of Friday, after apparently unlatching a window while evading capture and turning on a water tap, officials said.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Its members are extraordinarily intelligent, fabulously wealthy and—increasingly—ideologically possessed.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
"No, it wouldn't. That's where you make your big mistake. Because you're not intelligent."
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
