intellect

[ in-tl-ekt ]

/ ˈɪn tlˌɛkt /

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noun

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.

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

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

a person possessing a great capacity for thought and knowledge.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR intellect

1 reason, sense, common sense, brains.

See synonyms for intellect on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of intellect

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

synonym study for intellect

1. See mind.

Words nearby intellect

integrity, integument, integumentary, integumentary system, intel, intellect, intellection, intellective, intellectronics, intellectual, intellectual disability

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use intellect in a sentence

Not just your intellect but also — and most hard to replace — your heart.
Martin Baron, executive editor who oversaw dramatic Washington Post expansion, announces retirement|Paul Farhi|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
“Mayor Buttigieg has impressive credentials that demonstrate his intellect and commitment to serving our nation,” Wicker said.
Buttigieg cites ‘generational opportunity’ on infrastructure at confirmation hearing|Ian Duncan, Michael Laris|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
“Don’t let the complexity of your intellect cloud what needs to be simple,” she said.
Extra Crunch’s top 10 stories of 2020|Walter Thompson|December 31, 2020|TechCrunch
A new study by the nonprofit Strada Education Network reveals that for many surprising reasons students who have the motivation and intellect to do well are still receiving too little guidance on what courses they need to succeed.
Educators failing to teach what students need for good jobs|Jay Mathews|December 26, 2020|Washington Post

Parent applied his versatile intellect to a vast scope of scientific fields.
Do You Know These Scientific Pioneers? - Issue 93: Forerunners|Tom Siegfried|November 25, 2020|Nautilus
As in the case of Turner, the core of the intellect is missing.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?|Clive Irving|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anyone with the intellect of a ping-pong ball should understand how opportunistic that whistleblowing looks.
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance|Stefan Beck|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Renowned livestock specialist and autism advocate Temple Grandin brought her unique intellect and wit to Reddit.
The Most Inspiring Bits of Temple Grandin’s Reddit AMA|Emily Shire|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tavis Smiley, the PBS talk show host and close friend to Cornel West, often credits West with having a “useable intellect.”
Cornel West’s Disappointing Decline|David Masciotra|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is a man of deep faith and brilliant intellect, with a healthy dose of modernity and realism.
What the Archbishop of Canterbury Should Have Said About Gay Rights|Gene Robinson|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How much of the imagination, how much of the intellect, evaporates and is lost while we seek to embody it in words!
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
It is the will directing the activity of the intellect into some particular channel and keeping it there.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
In running over many words, the intellect might be arrested by chance.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The intellect might be abolished so far as its participation in such an operation is concerned.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
And the most vivid First Impressions always result from the action of the intellect upon the sensuous stimuli from ear and eye.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for intellect

intellect

/ (ˈɪntɪˌlɛkt) /

noun

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

a mind or intelligence, esp a brilliant onehis intellect is wasted on that job

informal a person possessing a brilliant mind; brain

those possessing the greatest mental powerthe intellect of a nation

Derived forms of intellect

intellective, adjectiveintellectively, adverb

Word Origin for intellect

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

intellect

OTHER WORDS FOR intellect

Origin of intellect

synonym study for intellect

Words nearby intellect

Words related to intellect

How to use intellect in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for intellect

Derived forms of intellect

Word Origin for intellect