intelligent

[ in-tel-i-juhnt ]
/ ɪnˈtɛl ɪ dʒənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR intelligent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: an intelligent student.
displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment: an intelligent reply.
having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence: intelligent beings in outer space.
Computers. pertaining to the ability to do data processing locally; smart: An intelligent terminal can edit input before transmission to a host computer.Compare dumb(def 8).
Archaic. having understanding or knowledge (usually followed by of).

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Origin of intelligent

1500–10; < Latin intelligent- (stem of intelligēns, present participle of intelligere, variant of intellegere to understand, literally, choose between), equivalent to intel- (variant of inter- inter-) + -lig- (combining form of leg-, stem of legere to pick up, choose; cf. lection) + -ent- -ent

SYNONYMS FOR intelligent

1 bright. Intelligent, intellectual describe distinctive mental capacity. Intelligent often suggests a natural quickness of understanding: an intelligent reader. Intellectual implies not only having a high degree of understanding, but also a capacity and taste for the higher forms of knowledge: intellectual interests.
2 astute, clever, alert, bright, apt, discerning, shrewd, smart. See sharp.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR intelligent ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM intelligent

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH intelligent

intelligent intelligible intellectual (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby intelligent

intelligence office, intelligence officer, intelligence quotient, intelligence test, intelligencer, intelligent, intelligent card, intelligent design, intelligent knowledge-based system, intelligent terminal, intelligential
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to intelligent

imaginative, inventive, wise, brilliant, knowledgeable, resourceful, creative, bright, perceptive, smart, rational, brainy, well-informed, original, astute, able, acute, alert, alive, apt

Example sentences from the Web for intelligent

British Dictionary definitions for intelligent

intelligent
/ (ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt) /

adjective

having or indicating intelligence
having high intelligence; clever
indicating high intelligence; perceptivean intelligent guess
guided by reason; rational
(of computerized functions) able to modify action in the light of ongoing events
(postpositive foll by of) archaic having knowledge or informationthey were intelligent of his whereabouts

Derived forms of intelligent

intelligently, 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