intellectual

American  

[in-tl-ek-choo-uhl] / ˌɪn tlˈɛk tʃu əl /

adjective

1. appealing to or engaging the intellect.

   intellectual pursuits.

   Synonyms:

   mental

2. of or relating to the intellect or its use.

   intellectual powers.

   Synonyms:

   mental

3. possessing or showing intellect or mental capacity, especially to a high degree.

   an intellectual person.

4. guided or developed by or relying on the intellect rather than upon emotions or feelings; rational.

5. characterized by or suggesting a predominance of intellect.

   an intellectual way of speaking.

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noun

• intellectuals
  plural

1. a person of superior intellect.

2. a person who places a high value on or pursues things of interest to the intellect or the more complex forms and fields of knowledge, as aesthetic or philosophical matters, especially on an abstract and general level.

3. an extremely rational person; a person who relies on intellect rather than on emotions or feelings.

4. a person professionally engaged in mental labor, as a writer or teacher.

5. Archaic. intellectuals,

   1. the mental faculties.

   2. things pertaining to the intellect.

intellectual British  

/ ˌɪntɪˈlɛktʃʊəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the intellect, as opposed to the emotions

2. appealing to or characteristic of people with a developed intellect

   intellectual literature

3. expressing or enjoying mental activity

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noun

1. a person who enjoys mental activity and has highly developed tastes in art, literature, etc

2. a person who uses or works with his intellect

3. a highly intelligent person

intellectual Cultural  

1. A person who engages in academic study or critical evaluation of ideas and issues. (See intelligentsia.)

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Synonym Usage

See intelligent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hyperintellectualness
  noun
• intellectuality
  noun
• intellectualness
  noun
• nonintellectualness
  noun
• overintellectualness
  noun
• half-intellectual
  adjective
• hyperintellectual
  adjective
• nonintellectual
  adjective
• overintellectual
  adjective
• preintellectual
  adjective
• quasi-intellectual
  adjective
• semi-intellectual
  adjective
• superintellectual
  adjective
• unintellectual
  adjective
• half-intellectually
  adverb
• hyperintellectually
  adverb
• intellectually
  adverb
• nonintellectually
  adverb
• overintellectually
  adverb
• preintellectually
  adverb
• quasi-intellectually
  adverb
• semi-intellectually
  adverb
• superintellectually
  adverb
• unintellectually
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intellectuals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of intellectual

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin intellēctuālis, equivalent to intellēctu-, stem of intellēctus intellect + -ālis -al ¹

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Explanation

The adjective intellectual describes something related to or using the mind or intellect. Your creative pursuit of singing in a rock band is different from your intellectual interest in 16th-century drama. Intellectual is often used to describe intensive reasoning and deep thinking, particularly in relation to subjects that tend to spark deep discussion, such as literature or philosophy. An intellectual is also a noun for a cerebral or brainy person who engages in deep thinking, like Plato, Albert Einstein, or your classmate who can speak at length about the relationship between French existentialism and ice hockey.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intellectual intellectuals

Later she wonders if her literary success is too intimidating, and whether it is realistic to insist on an intellectual and emotional equal, a man to whom she will be “twinned in some cosmic way.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

OpenArt also has a tool that helps flag potential intellectual property infringement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Given the AI industry’s hostility toward intellectual property rights, it’s not a stretch to imagine that a major player may have trained its models on some of the most famous songs in recorded music history.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

An OpenAI spokesperson said: "We're having productive conversations with rightsholders around the world about supporting creativity, including fan art, while protecting intellectual property and taking appropriate action in response to copyright complaints."

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Hamilton was, after George Washington, the most powerful figure in the Federalist party and, his advocates would have added, the intellectual wellspring for all the political energy that Washington merely symbolized.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Yet other scholars, activists and intellectuals have their takes, too, on the Harlem Renaissance’s many political movements and bids for Black self-determination.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Born in Minnesota, Bill Niman found himself in Bolinas in 1969, where he befriended lefty intellectuals who were critical of factory farming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Maybe I associate too much with loving, devoted parents and not enough with intellectuals who think parents are holding their kids hostage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Greta Lee and Edmund Donovan star alongside the actor in this adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella about a group of intellectuals fascinated with a once-celebrated writer who now works at a post office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

My argument was that it was as undemocratic to specify that the leaders had to be from the working class as to declare that they should be bourgeois intellectuals.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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Related Words

• cerebral
• creative
• highbrow
• mental
• psychological
• rational
• scholarly
• thoughtful

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