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 internal
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
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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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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
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Recent Examples of intellectual
Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
His voice was more kind of intellectual, and that seemed to play completely against your notions of what a gangster should sound like.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
Marcy Thompson, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
Reds Year: 1981 Running time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Director: Warren Beatty
In the long list of films that probably couldn’t get made today, Reds — a big-budget epic about the love lives of communist intellectuals — is way up there.
—Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for intellectual 
Adjective
Personally, some of my proudest work has been in supporting housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, advocating for Pridefest, celebrating religious festivals, and working with the Senior Task Force – all diverse populations.
—Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
His voice was more kind of intellectual, and that seemed to play completely against your notions of what a gangster should sound like.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
Noun
Marcy Thompson: And in the coffeehouse culture that the era is famous for, Margarethe found her way to a group of radical intellectuals who reflected her own desire for progress, the Socialist Students League.
—Marcy Thompson, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
Reds Year: 1981 Running time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Director: Warren Beatty
In the long list of films that probably couldn’t get made today, Reds — a big-budget epic about the love lives of communist intellectuals — is way up there.
—Kevin Lincoln, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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The cerebral Sridhar Ramaswamy, had the misfortune to follow in the huge CEO footsteps of the Bill Belichick-like Slootman.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2025
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An autopsy showed that McLaughlin died from cerebral damage and constriction of the neck, the Associated Press reports.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This is important because oftentimes those internal thoughts come out loud in front of kids.—
Shannon Carpenter,
CNN,
11 Feb. 2025
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But in a crowded marketplace with fewer revenue streams, enough artists enrolled that, according to Pelly’s reporting, Spotify’s internal Slack channels were lit up with glee.—
Brad Shoup,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This tournament could be heaven for hockey nerds who have been starved for best-on-best at this level.—
Corey Masisak,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2025
-
From jocks to nerds, cheerleaders to shy kids, Dazed captures the universality of being a young person on the cusp of truly entering the world, whether you're actualized or not.—
Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante,
EW.com,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Drug companies at the time approached these treatments with more skepticism, waiting longer to invest and letting universities and academic hospitals do the heavy lifting, said Ameet Sarpatwari, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studies the pharmaceutical industry.—
Robin Fields,
CNN,
17 Feb. 2025
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Being so much loved is going to help you much more in life than academic success alone.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Once false lashes are set, apply kohl eyeliner to line your upper waterline and a few more swipes of mascara to the inner corner for an extra pop.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Many oak tree species have thick outer bark that protects the inner cambium layer, from which new growth occurs.—
Joshua Siskin,
Orange County Register,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Wagner would be a sleepless highbrow’s favorite; the long, lush, unbroken lines of music share with the white-noise hum of the air-conditioner or the thrum of the painstaking lecture the quality of being absorbing without offering undue eventfulness.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Both winners will be announced at the FICA ceremony, establishing a new platform for recognizing both creative and scholarly contributions to regional cinema.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2025
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About 119,000 scholarly journal articles and conference papers are published globally every week, or more than 6 million a year.—
Guillaume Cabanac,
The Conversation,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Williamson said earlier this week that his hamstring is completely healed, but his mental state remains a work in progress.—
oregonlive,
oregonlive,
13 Apr. 2023
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Sign up That Torrance pushed Vial and Eduardo to such mental anguish does not surprise immigrant-justice advocates.—
María Inés Taracena,
The New Republic,
12 Apr. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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