intelligentsia
noun
in·tel·li·gent·sia
in-ˌte-lə-ˈjen(t)-sē-ə 
-ˈgen(t)-
-ˈgen(t)-
: intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite
Examples of intelligentsia in a Sentence
a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others
Recent Examples on the Web
During the 1960s, information spread with impressive speed: something akin to social networks formed among the intelligentsia, a process that had already begun under Nikita Khrushchev but reached its full extent in the early Brezhnev years.
—
Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2024
The musical intelligentsia had turned out en masse.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
How such a basic concept eludes the intelligentsia over here is beyond me.
—Philip Klein, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
Even the secular intelligentsia banded with the ayatollah, dismissing the protests and the blatant anti-Semitic and anti-feminist character of the new leadership as a few minor quirks upon which the great revolution could not afford to dwell.
—Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for intelligentsia 
Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2024
The musical intelligentsia had turned out en masse.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
How such a basic concept eludes the intelligentsia over here is beyond me.
—Philip Klein, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
Even the secular intelligentsia banded with the ayatollah, dismissing the protests and the blatant anti-Semitic and anti-feminist character of the new leadership as a few minor quirks upon which the great revolution could not afford to dwell.
—Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2023
See all Example Sentences for intelligentsia
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intelligentsia.' 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
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intelligentsia. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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