anti-intellectual

[ an-tee-in-tl-ek-choo-uhl, an-tahy‐ ]

/ ˌæn tiˌɪn tlˈɛk tʃu əl, ˌæn taɪ‐ /

Save This Word!

noun

a person opposed to or hostile toward intellectuals and the modern academic, artistic, social, religious, and other theories associated with them.

a person who believes that intellect and reason are less important than actions and emotions in solving practical problems and understanding reality.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of anti-intellectuals or their beliefs.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

Meet Grammar Coach

Also an·ti-in·tel·lec·tu·al·ist

[an-tee-in-tl-ek-choo-uh-list, an-tahy‐] /ˌæn tiˌɪn tlˈɛk tʃu ə lɪst, ˌæn taɪ‐/ .

Origin of anti-intellectual

First recorded in 1935–40

an·ti-in·tel·lec·tu·al·ism, nounan·ti-in·tel·lec·tu·al·is·tic, adjectivean·ti-in·tel·lec·tu·al·i·ty, noun

Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
A few years back, designer John Galliano was fined by the government for sharing just such anti-semitic sentiments in public.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The “doctorate” Duke claims is from an anti-Semitic Ukranian “diploma mill” as described by the State Department.
The Price of Steve Scalise’s Silence|Jason Berry|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even the hot Jewish women I mentioned above did something a bit more “intellectual” than pageantry: acting.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Charles “Father” Coughlin, a raving anti-Semite, was one of the most popular radio hosts in the country.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His also was the intellectual point of view, and the intellectual interest in knowledge and its deductions.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
The intellectual temperament finds voice in many great expressions, which are very Dante and also very Thomas, as Par.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
To give him a party name, he became an anti-clerical, strictly in a political and lawful sense.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
In our western communities the dangers to the intellectual nexus lie rather on the other side.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Martini appeared from his little anti-room, with a lamp in his hand, as the prison clock struck ten.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter