INTELLECT Synonyms: 125 Similar and Opposite Words

intellect

noun

ˈin-tə-ˌlekt

Definition of intellect

as in genius

a very smart person one of the finest intellects of our time

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in intelligence

the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems a child of great intellect as well as artistic talent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of intellect Tony has led at the highest levels of government, respected for his intellect, strategic vision and ability to bring people together around bold, forward-looking ideas. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 That’s what makes bikepacking part cycling, part camping, and part foraging, as each rider must possess a substantial expeditionary intellect in order to make it through races. — Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026 That far down the line, the brand should still represent creativity, beauty, culture, intellect and craftsmanship. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026 Beavis and Butt-Head function as a note-perfect satire of teenage confidence and idiocy, but the sharpness of the writing has always belied the bottom-of-the-barrel intellect of its title characters. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for intellect

Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellect

Noun

Newcomer Mia Tharia’s Josie is a sickly genius who’s invariably kind to Klara and precociously self-aware in the vein of YA teen heroes everywhere.

— Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
With stars, form, and strategic geniuses on both sides, today's face-off is promising to be a game for the ages.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of genius

Noun

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, repeated his warning Sunday that Iran or its proxies could launch an attack before the election to disrupt the vote, citing intelligence.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
What readers are saying The comments discuss a case involving a person who sent letters containing a suspicious substance, with many commenters criticizing the individual's intelligence for including his return address.

— Violet Jira, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of intelligence

Noun

The tightness of White’s control over his arrangements can occasionally foreclose the sense of chaotic freedom inherent to his more collaborative efforts.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
This approach was meant to counter Vucic's one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity.

— JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of sense

Noun

The 2020s have been full of young artists whose brains were rewired by E+E, Chuquimamani-Condori’s early alias for sputtering patchworks of Latin electronica, and revel in semioblitz bliss.

— Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
The cause was complications of a benign brain tumor removed eight years ago, his wife and longtime NPR news producer Neenah Ellis told the New York Times.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of brain

Noun

For next year’s admissions, institutions would have to publish more detailed selection criteria and explain rejections when applicants request reasons.

— Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
For that reason, Republicans believe the seat is a likely pickup this fall in what is otherwise a difficult midterm environment.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of reason

Noun

The great religious thinkers of Antiquity—from Gautama to Pythagoras to Jesus—taught that property should be renounced or held in common.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
At his suggestion, Gray began to dive into writings by Gilles Deleuze, bell hooks and Frantz Fanon, thinkers who engaged questions of difference, race and identity.

— Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of thinker

Browse Nearby Words

integrity

intellect

intellection

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Style

“Intellect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellect. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of intellect

noun

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