Definitions for intellectual
ˌɪn tlˈɛk tʃu əlin·tel·lec·tu·al

Princeton's WordNet(2.75 / 8 votes)Rate this definition:

1. intellectual, intellectadjective

   a person who uses the mind creatively

2. intellectual, rational, noeticadjective

   of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind

   "intellectual problems"; "the triumph of the rational over the animal side of man"

3. intellectualadjective

   appealing to or using the intellect

   "satire is an intellectual weapon"; "intellectual workers engaged in creative literary or artistic or scientific labor"; "has tremendous intellectual sympathy for oppressed people"; "coldly intellectual"; "sort of the intellectual type"; "intellectual literature"

4. cerebral, intellectualadjective

   involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct

   "a cerebral approach to the problem"; "cerebral drama"

GCIDE(4.19 / 11 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Intellectualnoun

   A learned person or one of high intelligence; especially, one who places greatest value on activities requiring exercise of the intelligence, such as study, complex forms of knowledge, literature and aesthetic matters, reflection and philosophical speculation; a member of the intelligentsia; as, intellectuals are often apalled at the inanities that pass for entertainment on television.

Wiktionary(2.50 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. intellectualnoun

   An intelligent person, someone interested in intellectual matters.

2. intellectualnoun

   The intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties.

3. intellectualadjective

   Belonging to, or performed by, the intellect; mental; as, intellectual powers, activities, etc.

4. intellectualadjective

   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.

5. intellectualadjective

   Suitable for exercising the intellect; formed by, and existing for, the intellect alone; perceived by the intellect; as, intellectual employments.

6. intellectualadjective

   Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind; as, intellectual philosophy, sometimes called "mental" philosophy.

Webster Dictionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Intellectualadjective

   belonging to, or performed by, the intellect; mental; as, intellectual powers, activities, etc

2. Intellectualadjective

   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. Intellectualadjective

   suitable for exercising the intellect; formed by, and existing for, the intellect alone; perceived by the intellect; as, intellectual employments

4. Intellectualadjective

   relating to the understanding; treating of the mind; as, intellectual philosophy, sometimes called "mental" philosophy

5. Intellectualnoun

   the intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties

6. Etymology: [L. intellectualis: cf. F. intellectuel.]

Freebase(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Intellectual

   An intellectual is a person who primarily uses intelligence in either a professional or an individual capacity. As a substantive or adjective, it refers to the work product of such persons, to the so-called "life of the mind" generally, or to an aspect of something where learning, erudition, and informed and critical thinking are the focus, as in "the intellectual level of the discourse on the matter was not high". The intellectual is a specific variety of the intelligent, which unlike the general property, is strictly associated with reason and thinking. Many everyday roles require the application of intelligence to skills that may have a psychomotor component, for example, in the fields of medicine, sport or the arts, but these do not necessarily involve the practitioner in the "world of ideas". The distinctive quality of the intellectual person is that the mental skills, which he or she demonstrates, are not simply intelligent, but even more, they focus on thinking about the abstract, philosophical and esoteric aspects of human inquiry and the value of their thinking. Traditionally, the scholarly and the intellectual classes were closely identified; however, while intellectuals need not necessarily be actively involved in scholarship, they often have an academic background and will typically have an association with a profession.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. intellectual

   A person who is smart and enjoys serious study and thought.

   That person is a real intellectual.

   Submitted by JP03 on February 5, 2015  

2. intellectual

   To use the mind and intelligence to create.

   The computer programmers are intellectual human beings.

   Submitted by MaryC on April 3, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'intellectual' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3726

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'intellectual' in Nouns Frequency: #2738

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'intellectual' in Adjectives Frequency: #500

How to pronounce intellectual?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say intellectual in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of intellectual in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of intellectual in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of intellectual in a Sentence

1. Basil O'Connor:

   The world cannot continue to wage war like physical giants and to seek peace like intellectual pygmies.

2. Ehsan Sehgal:

   The honeybee makes the honey, and the dirty fly makes the dirt. Which, whatever is that reflects itself. If the dirty fly goes anywhere, it makes the dirt while the honeybee makes the honey. In that context that the squeeze of our mental, intellectual, character, and morals comes to our eyes, is the evil people. It is the essence of our nation, and we shall have to taste that until we are not as the honeybee.

3. Mwanandeke Kindembo:

   Religion deals with the heart (feelings/emotions) while science only focuses on the mind (increasing the intellectual)—However, we need something that can link the heart and the mind at the same time.

4. Miles Kindera:

   'I think therefore I am' is the statement of an intellectual who underrates toothaches.

5. Ehsan Sehgal:

   The sea does not require to be recognized, and neither it falls into the rivers, nor it hinders falling the rivers into it. Similarly, intellectual, genius the sea of wisdom figures do not need and look for the applauses and appreciations, but they are naturally and automatically honoured by those who feel and understand their wisdom and thoughts

Popularity rank by frequency of use