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

Etymology

Origin of intellectual

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

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

The German artist Albrecht Dürer initiated one of the first known intellectual property lawsuits.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

She talks about being driven by "almost a duty" to represent autistic people with intellectual disabilities.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

There was a lot to discuss about both titles including AI/robots, intellectual enhancements, climate change, reality television, prison reform/abolition and human nature.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Ownership of a copy became shorthand for edgy, intellectual sensitivity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Her son’s resistance to schoolwork was a mild disorder that many children go through, but his study of chess, an intellectual activity, was supplanting it.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

A meet-up with Meyers’ “artistic community,” a circle of so-called intellectuals known as the Enthusiasm Society, leads Ed to humbly dip a toe back into his vanished creative side.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The document relied heavily on academic contributors, armchair intellectuals with zero industry experience, whose abstract theories distracted from the fundamental cause.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Otero Alcantara, a self-taught performance artist, sculptor and painter, rose to prominence in 2020 as leader of the San Isidro protest movement of artists and intellectuals.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

Instead, she places Black Americans, Black intellectuals, and Black constitutional struggle where they have always belonged: at the center of the 14th Amendment.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

Author Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the most popular public lecturers of the day, was among the intellectuals who came out against spirit communication.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

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