intellect

American  

[in-tl-ekt] / ˈɪn tlˌɛkt /

noun

1. the power or faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels and that by which one wills; the understanding; the faculty of thinking and acquiring knowledge.

   Synonyms:

   common sense, sense, reason

2. capacity for thinking and acquiring knowledge, especially of a high or complex order; mental capacity.

3. a particular mind or intelligence, especially of a high order.

4. a person possessing a great capacity for thought and knowledge.

5. minds collectively, as of a number of persons or the persons themselves.

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intellect British  

/ ˈɪntɪˌlɛkt /

noun

1. the capacity for understanding, thinking, and reasoning, as distinct from feeling or wishing

2. a mind or intelligence, esp a brilliant one

   his intellect is wasted on that job

3. informal a person possessing a brilliant mind; brain

4. those possessing the greatest mental power

   the intellect of a nation

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Related Words

See mind.

Other Word Forms

• intellective adjective
• intellectively adverb

Etymology

Origin of intellect

1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin intellēctus, equivalent to intelleg(ere) “to understand” + -tus suffix of verbal action; intelligent

Example Sentences

How horrifying to think of all that capability and intellect, unmoored from a conscience.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was serious about the intellect but also playful, imaginative.

From The Wall Street Journal

But intellect and curiosity did not pay for bread or coal, her uncle said, and just because his sister was dead shouldn’t mean he had to feed another mouth.

From Literature

Anthropic began advertising last September, using the slogan “Keep Thinking” and positioning Claude as a partner for solving complex problems to counter market anxiety that overreliance on AI threatens human intellect.

From The Wall Street Journal

I was devastated, ashamed even, to learn that my brain—the thing responsible for my intellect, which I pride myself on—was defective.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ability
• acumen
• genius
• intelligence
• intuition
• judgment
• savvy