1
a : of or relating to the intellect or its use b : developed or chiefly guided by the intellect rather than by emotion or experience : rational c : requiring use of the intellect2
a: given to study, reflection, and speculation
b : engaged in activity requiring the creative use of the intellect2
intellectuals plural, archaic : intellectual powers
Examples of intellectual in a SentenceAdjective 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 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.Adjective
The Colombian painter and intellectual (1919-2003) was born in Bogotá and lived in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Jerusalem, Washington, and Rome before settling in Paris, discovering nature within global cities. —Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025 Suppose the differences between these two cooks were repeated in many domains of intellectual labor. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2025Noun
And back in 2010, a MoMA retrospective featured a catalogue in which Wiseman’s work was praised by artists and intellectuals outside the documentary realm. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025 Iranian artists and intellectuals tend to rely on subtlety, embedding meaning within layers of metaphor and covert language: a necessity in a place where direct expression often comes at great risk. —Rebecca Ruth Gould, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intellectual Word HistoryFirst Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of intellectual was in the 15th century Cite this Entry“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Last Updated: 10 May 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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