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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of intellectual
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 Jan. 2025
Van Buren has no interest in László's commanding air of intellectual superiority and authority — until an article in Look magazine flatters him as a millionaire with a becoming taste for modernity.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Boutayna Chokrane, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
Sure, they’re meant to be funny, but Tomlin inhabits each of them — from Trudy the homeless woman to Brandy and Tina, hookers tired of being interviewed by intellectuals — with affection and empathy alike.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for intellectual 
Adjective
How did this figure of speech become a pejorative for elitist artistic and/or intellectual seclusion—something to be gotten out of or pulled down for the good of the cause, the community, or, more recently, the all-encompassing market?
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 4 Jan. 2025
Van Buren has no interest in László's commanding air of intellectual superiority and authority — until an article in Look magazine flatters him as a millionaire with a becoming taste for modernity.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
The ubiquitous New Yorker tote became the uniform of the chic intellectual, and Trader Joe’s reusable bags (though around since the late ’70s) are a badge of brand loyalty.
—Boutayna Chokrane, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
Sure, they’re meant to be funny, but Tomlin inhabits each of them — from Trudy the homeless woman to Brandy and Tina, hookers tired of being interviewed by intellectuals — with affection and empathy alike.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
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Unconcerned with trends, the band never broke up or stopped exploring cerebral combinations of metal, classical and art rock.Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
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Motherland, by Julia Ioffe (June 17) Later in 2025 Nowhere Burning, Catriona Ward (October 7) $27 $29 now 7% off After the brilliant, cerebral chills of The House on Needless Street and Looking Glass Sound, Catriona Ward’s Nowhere Burning promises a more candidly monstrous thriller.Vulture Editors, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The approval ends days of intense internal politics, with several members of the government publicly opposing the deal's approval and threatening to quit the government in order to stop its passage.David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
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An Egyptian official said an Israeli delegation from the military and Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency arrived Friday in Cairo to discuss the reopening of the crossing.SAMY MAGDY, arkansasonline.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Photo : Watch Print The Dial: The Face of the Wristwatch in the 20th Century True watch nerds will appreciate the depth of this intricate reference book exploring the focal point of every watch: the dial.Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 8 Jan. 2025
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Econ nerds met, networked, tried to get jobs, shared ideas, and presented hundreds of academic papers.Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Jie Shan and Kin Fai Mak, an academic power couple who run a lab at Cornell University, had been searching for superconductivity in TMDs since Jarillo-Herrero’s blockbuster twisted-graphene discovery in 2018.Charlie Wood, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2025
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In the contemporary world, the Divine Nine boasts diverse growth and development programs, serving their respective communities through camaraderie, academic excellence, and educational, cultural, and economic activities.Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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End up between the inner and outer tubs, especially if the washer is overloaded—once there, those socks are gone for good.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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In between the longer shoulder buttons along the Joy-Con's inner edge (SL and SR) and a new central connector port, eagle-eyed viewers noticed what looks suspiciously like the optical sensor that sits on the bottom of practically every mouse these days.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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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
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No word better sums up our quixotic hopes for the visual, uniting the lowbrow (video-game headsets, van Gogh warehouses), the highbrow (Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms, James Turrell’s light installations), and the middlebrow (Alfonso Cuarón’s Steadicam jaunts, James Cameron’s 3-D extravaganzas).Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Adjective
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These research reports and scholarly articles explain how.JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025
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Researchers often comb through reams of scholarly works.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2024
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 21 Jan. 2025.
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