intellect

[in-tl-ekt]

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.

intellect

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• intellective adjective
• intellectively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of intellect¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of intellect¹

C14: from Latin intellectus comprehension, intellect, from intellegere to understand; see _intelligence

Synonym Study

See mind.

Example Sentences

I watched helplessly in the early 1990s as dementia consumed the fierce intellect that defined my grandmother.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He was one of the few to audition who understood that the privileged Felix was only nice because he never had to be mean, says Fennell, who praises the actor’s intellect and emotional intuitiveness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As the film explores the distinctions between behaving from instinct versus intellect — a battle between heart and mind — there is a chilly distance that Anderson never quite bridges.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In person, “Baltimore’s practiced elegance frames a fierce pride and a sometimes brutal intellect, softened only by his insistence that professional criticism be leavened by personal respect.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"His fierce intellect, coupled with a wonderful curiosity and extraordinary passion for knowledge, marks him out as one of the broadcasting greats," he said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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