in·tel·lec·tu·al
ˌin-tə-ˈlek-chə-wəl 
-chəl,
-shwəl,
-chü(-ə)l
1
2
a
: given to study, reflection, and speculation
b
: engaged in activity requiring the creative use of the intellect
intellectual playwrights
1
: an intellectual person
2
intellectuals plural, archaic
: intellectual powers
Synonyms
Examples of intellectual in a Sentence
Adjective
the social and intellectual life of the campus
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
Noun
He thinks that he's an intellectual, but he doesn't know what he's talking about.
She's a hard worker but she's no great intellectual.
a café where artists and intellectuals mingle
Recent Examples on the Web
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 June 2024
Billed as one of the French capital’s sole surviving community cinemas, La Clef is at the heart of Paris’s Left Bank fifth arrondissement, once associated with student activism and intellectual and political ferment.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 19 June 2024
Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Their lodges thus attracted the intellectuals and revolutionaries of the time, including Voltaire, Montesquieu, Mozart, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, as well as more modern figures, from Buzz Aldrin to John Wayne.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for intellectual 
Adjective
Where to Stay: Book a room at Hotel La Bionda, a boutique property in the historic center of Begur that served as an intellectual hub for women during the 1930s.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 June 2024
Billed as one of the French capital’s sole surviving community cinemas, La Clef is at the heart of Paris’s Left Bank fifth arrondissement, once associated with student activism and intellectual and political ferment.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 19 June 2024
Noun
Campbell is an art historian and celebrity intellectual, who seems to have everything going for him.
—Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Their lodges thus attracted the intellectuals and revolutionaries of the time, including Voltaire, Montesquieu, Mozart, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, as well as more modern figures, from Buzz Aldrin to John Wayne.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for intellectual
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intellectual.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intellectual
1 of 2 adjective
in·tel·lec·tu·al
ˌint-ᵊl-ˈek-ch(ə-w)əl
1
: relating to the intellect or understanding
2
: having intellect to a high degree : engaged in or given to learning and thinking
an intellectual person
3
: requiring study and thought
intellectual games
intellectual
2 of 2 noun
: an intellectual person
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