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

Their likelihood of receiving an intellectual disability diagnosis was more than seven times higher.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

Instagram’s terms of service prohibit intellectual property violations, spam, illegal content, hate speech, bullying and abuse, self-injury, graphic violence and inappropriate imagery that may include nudity or sexual content.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Even if we don’t need many coders in the future, as an intellectual exercise computer science is not the worst use of time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

And, even though both sides try to put up legal boundaries to protect their intellectual property, consumer-goods companies with private-label partnerships can end up tipping their hand to retailers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

It is a sort of trump card in an intellectual game.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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

Hundreds of intellectuals and others have signed letters and online petitions expressing fears of a disastrous denouement: the collection’s prolonged — and possible permanent — absence from Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Conservative intellectuals in the U.S. appropriated Disraeli as an exemplar of temperament and principle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 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

These three million people included teachers, engineers, doctors, scientists, and intellectuals.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

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