as in literati
intellectuals considered as a social class
a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intelligentsia
An Emmy winner for acting, directing, and writing, the series ought to be on the lips of the entire clickbait intelligentsia, filling digital column inches from the Ringer to Slate.
—
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligentsia
Noun
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The last week-and-a-half has been a blast and she’s played like someone who can compete against and trouble the elite.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Among the Italian elites, knowledge was a form of social currency, and learned women were admired as symbols of familial and civic prestige.—
Manuela Callari,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Democrats and the public-health clerisy denounced President Trump for rushing Covid vaccines.—
Allysia Finley,
WSJ,
4 Sep. 2022
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They are ruled by a grizzled and sclerotic clerisy that funnels resources to its private army, the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).—
Matthew Continetti,
National Review,
24 Sep. 2022
Noun
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That fee in turn gets deducted from the purchase price should the customer elect to buy it instead of returning the item.—
Vicki M. Young,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Mar. 2025
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With every point so critical, will coach Martin St. Louis elect to give Dobes more starts — or perhaps even a run of games at some point?—
Carol Schram,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligentsia. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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