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
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
Rebecca Ruth Gould, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025
Framed as a biography of Jensen Huang, the only CEO Nvidia has ever had, the book is also something more interesting and revealing: a window onto the intellectual, cultural, and economic ecosystem that has led to the emergence of superpowerful AI.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
Jeffrey Seller, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
In 1799, Davy expanded his experiments to include intellectuals, philosophers and poets, like Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in what became known as the nitrous oxide trials.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
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Adjective
Iran has cultivated an astonishing intellectual and artistic depth with far fewer resources than many other nations.
—Rebecca Ruth Gould, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025
Framed as a biography of Jensen Huang, the only CEO Nvidia has ever had, the book is also something more interesting and revealing: a window onto the intellectual, cultural, and economic ecosystem that has led to the emergence of superpowerful AI.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
One is blond, hair almost white, wears wire glasses, and exudes the presence of a bohemian intellectual.
—Jeffrey Seller, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
In 1799, Davy expanded his experiments to include intellectuals, philosophers and poets, like Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in what became known as the nitrous oxide trials.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intellectual. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
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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