intelligent
Americanadjective
-
having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals.
an intelligent student.
- Synonyms:
- bright
- Antonyms:
- stupid
-
displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment.
an intelligent reply.
- Antonyms:
- stupid
-
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.
-
Archaic. having understanding or knowledge (usually followed byof ).
adjective
-
having or indicating intelligence
-
having high intelligence; clever
-
indicating high intelligence; perceptive
an intelligent guess
-
guided by reason; rational
-
(of computerized functions) able to modify action in the light of ongoing events
-
archaic having knowledge or information
they were intelligent of his whereabouts
Related Words
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. See sharp.
Other Word Forms
- hyperintelligent adjective
- hyperintelligently adverb
- intelligently adverb
- nonintelligent adjective
- nonintelligently adverb
- preintelligent adjective
- preintelligently adverb
- quasi-intelligent adjective
- quasi-intelligently adverb
- semi-intelligent adjective
- semi-intelligently adverb
- superintelligent adjective
Etymology
Origin of intelligent
First recorded in 1500–10; from 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”; lection ) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
Humans? Intelligent! Potted plants? Not so much. Intelligent means smart, or having the ability to process and understand information (including dictionary definitions). Intelligent comes from a Latin word meaning "to understand, to gather," and intelligent creatures gather and make sense of information easily. Intelligent also refers to the ability to think. Intelligent objects, like speakers or software, seem to think in the way they react to change. If we’re looking for intelligent life on Mars, we want Martians who can reason. Intelligent also means showing good judgement, like an intelligent decision not to invite all those Martians to your birthday party.
Vocabulary lists containing intelligent
More Positive Words to Describe a Person
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My best guess is that Cassidy and Kaine themselves — being the intelligent and diligent legislators they are — would prefer a serious approach and offer this proposal simply to move their colleagues to action.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
Ironically, such unpleasantness can inspire as many calm, intelligent chats as “The Drama” already has.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
She said: "The family weren't pleased at all but they had a softer approach towards Violet partly because... she had mental health problems but she was also an incredibly intelligent woman."
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
The fastest growth came in what Huawei calls its intelligent automotive solution business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“She’s a very intelligent pig,” Eilonwy went on.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
