intellectual 1 of 2

adjective

ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl How to pronounce intellectual (audio)
Definition of intellectualnext
1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people

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2
as in mental
of or relating to the mind intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level research that shows that people from very intellectual backgrounds are happiest with spouses having comparable educations

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intellectual

2 of 2

noun

as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability

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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 intellectual
Adjective
One of the many clever strokes in Andrew O’Hagan’s 2024 novel Caledonian Road was casting his floundering, public intellectual hero as the author of a best-selling biography of Johannes Vermeer. — Susan Tallman, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026 Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
The initial wave of departures was made up of African American intellectuals, church leaders and merchants. — Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026 The most emotionally poignant parts of the film focus on how the intellectual rebuilt his relationship to his Palestinian identity. — Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
  1. cerebral
  2. mental
  3. educational
  4. nerd
  5. academic
  6. internal
  7. scholarly
  8. highbrow
Adjective
  • But Blade Runner isn’t just known for cerebral questions about existence and purpose, it’s also known for breaking visual ground.
    — Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026
  • This becomes clear when, moving on from ephemera, the exhibit turns cerebral.
    — J. Hoberman, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of cerebral
Adjective
  • The mental toll that comes with Ebola Losing relatives to disease outbreaks is always difficult, but responders say grief can be especially severe with Ebola in a country where the disease is viewed by many as evil due to rumors and misconceptions.
    — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Their alluring quality belies their extreme toxicity; at times used as a hallucinogen, their ingestion can cause severe mental confusion and even death.
    — Tatiane de Assis, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of mental
Adjective
  • For example, any school that gets federal money must ensure that students have equal chances to take advantage of educational opportunities, whether or not English is their native language.
    — Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 22 Oct. 2026
  • De Rham, working closely with Mancini, was able to activate people from across the sector, from small educational nonprofits to large theaters that reliably receive line item funding in the governor’s budget each year.
    — Lucy Gellman, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of educational
Noun
  • The iPhone has been the same for so long that being forced to come up with little moves and tricks and ways to think about holding the Duo is a gadget nerd thrill.
    — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Harbach is a gifted observer of undergraduates, their pathos and their comedy, but his Westish is a gentle and perhaps too-good-natured institution, where even the jocks are nerds.
    — B. D. McClay, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of nerd
Adjective
  • The Brookings paper makes the same argument in academic terms.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Nancy’s British father, Gerald Cadogan, is an academic and archaeologist, and much of her childhood was spent on excavation sites in Cyprus and Crete.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of academic
Adjective
  • State attorneys general alleged that Meta covered up internal studies on the impact of Instagram on teenagers’ mental health.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • An internal investigation found children between the ages of 13 and 15 appeared in 112,000 TikTok Live videos in January 2022 alone, according to employees' testimony in the March court filings.
    — Katie McQue, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of internal
Adjective
  • If the source is a scholarly journal article, the article’s title appears in a larger font above the additional bibliographic information.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Generating scholarly tomes at a rate of more than one a year involves obsessive amounts of research.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of scholarly
Noun
  • Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Richie Grainge herself has evolved her stylistic approach from an ostentatious Los Angeleno verve into a look that’s more low-key highbrow.
    — Nick Remsen, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Definition of highbrow

Browse Nearby Words

intellects
intellectual
intellectualism
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Cite this Entry

“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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