intellectual

English

Wikipedia

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

Alternative forms

• intellectuall (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA: /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

intellectual (comparative more intellectual, superlative most intellectual)

1. Belonging to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive; as, intellectual powers, activities, etc.
2. Endowed with intellect; having the power of understanding; having capacity for the higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or mental capacity; as, an intellectual person.
3. Suitable for exercising the intellect; formed by, and existing for, the intellect alone; perceived by the intellect; as, intellectual employments.
4. Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind; as, intellectual philosophy, sometimes called "mental" philosophy.

Antonyms

• non-intellectual

Derived terms

Terms derived from intellectual (adjective)

anti-intellectual intellectual capital intellectual disability

intellectual honesty intellectuality intellectual journey

intellectual property intellectual rights organic intellectual

Related terms

Terms etymologically related to intellectual

intellect intellectualize

intelligence intelligent

overintellectualize

Translations

belonging to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive

• Dutch: verstandelijk (nl)
• French: intellectuel (fr) m, intellectuelle (fr) f
• German: intellektuell (de)
• Japanese: 知識人 (ja) (chishikijin)

• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Portuguese: intelectual (pt) m and f
• Romanian: intelectual (ro) m and n
• Russian: интеллектуальный (ru) (intellektuálʹnyj) , умственный (ru) (úmstvennyj) 

Noun

intellectual (plural intellectuals)

1. An intelligent, learned person, especially one who discourses about learned matters.
2. (archaic) The intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties.

Derived terms

• public intellectual

See also

• intelligentsia
• egghead
• nerd
• geek
• highbrow

Translations

intelligent person, interested in intellectual matters

• Catalan: intel·lectual (ca) m and f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 知識分子 (cmn), 知识分子 (cmn) (zhīshi fènzǐ)

• French: intellectuel (fr)
• German: Intellektueller (de) m, Intellektuelle (de) f

• Japanese: 知識人 (ja) (ちしきじん, chishikijin)
• Portuguese: intelectual (pt) m and f
• Romanian: intelectual (ro) m, intelectuală (ro) f
• Russian: интеллигент (ru) (intelligént) m , интеллектуал (ru) (intellektuál) m