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intellectual

[ in-tl-ek-choo-uhl ]
/ ˌɪn tlˈɛk tʃu əl /
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See synonyms for: intellectual / intellectuals / intellectually on Thesaurus.com

adjective
noun

OTHER WORDS FOR intellectual

1, 2 mental.
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Origin of intellectual

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin intellēctuālis, equivalent to intellēctu-, stem of intellēctus intellect + -ālis -al1

synonym study for intellectual

3. See intelligent.

OTHER WORDS FROM intellectual

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH intellectual

intelligent, intellectual (see synonym study at intelligent)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use intellectual in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for intellectual

intellectual
/ (ˌɪntɪˈlɛktʃʊəl) /

adjective
of or relating to the intellect, as opposed to the emotions
appealing to or characteristic of people with a developed intellectintellectual literature
expressing or enjoying mental activity
noun
a person who enjoys mental activity and has highly developed tastes in art, literature, etc
a person who uses or works with his intellect
a highly intelligent person

Derived forms of intellectual

intellectuality or intellectualness, nounintellectually, adverb
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

Cultural definitions for intellectual

intellectual

A person who engages in academic study or critical evaluation of ideas and issues. (See intelligentsia.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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