1
as in cerebral
much given to learning and thinking
as the daughter of college professors, she's used to being around intellectual people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mental
of or relating to the mind
intellectual pursuits such as reading and studying
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in educational
of or relating to schooling or learning especially at an advanced level
research that shows that people from very intellectual backgrounds are happiest with spouses having comparable educations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nerd
a person with strong intellectual interests
discovered that in politics a reputation for being an intellectual was regarded as a liability
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of intellectual
Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
The Chicago Tribune used its op-ed page in the 1970s to run opinions that countered the Tribune’s staunchly conservative views, while the Los Angeles Times opted for more localized opinions of a less intellectual bent than those found in The New York Times.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
Right-wing intellectuals will still find a home in Budapest, conservative publications will continue to print, and the MCC will not shutter.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Adjective
Certainly during Shakespeare’s day and his characters and in the medical literature, their brains light up, their memories, their imaginations, their intellectual abilities, and, yes, maybe telekinetic powers.
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
The Chicago Tribune used its op-ed page in the 1970s to run opinions that countered the Tribune’s staunchly conservative views, while the Los Angeles Times opted for more localized opinions of a less intellectual bent than those found in The New York Times.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
Just last month it was reported that Cesar Chavez, the United Farm Workers organiser, raped women and girls, and Noam Chomsky—one of the left’s foremost intellectuals whose most popular book is called Manufacturing Consent—is right there on the Epstein private jet.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
Right-wing intellectuals will still find a home in Budapest, conservative publications will continue to print, and the MCC will not shutter.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
-
Her cause of death was determined to be a cerebral hemorrhage, per CNN.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
-
For something a little more cerebral, try 2023's Daddio, which might have slipped under your radar.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The people behind Fire in the Mountains have teamed with the Firekeeper Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide prevention and mental wellness for the Blackfeet Nation community, making the festival’s raison d’être feel more noble than your standard summer shindig.—
David Harris,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The sheep rise to the occasion and use all the mental mystery-solving skills George and his stories have left behind.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The other, extending protections to educational institutions, was vetoed.—
Elliot Cosgrove,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The information provided is for educational purposes and should not be construed as financial, investment or trading advice.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s 14th album leans into their back-to-basics side with a collection of tunes by other artists, inspired by these lifelong friends’ shared journey as deep record nerds.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
-
While baseball nerds are busy playing with their analytics, those of us who miss balls to the wall baseball are reminded today that it's been 43 years since Chicago Cubs' Lee Elia let loose with one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, managerial rants in the history of sports.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Oil prices have an impact on voting behavior, according to decades of academic research.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The deeper issue is not academic integrity but the definition of intelligence.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The 90% problem But aggregate productivity numbers obscure a brutal internal sorting that is already underway inside companies.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The new controversy comes at a moment when the region is already grappling with internal divisions.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
From the scholarly and enlightened to the tough and intimidating, people of all walks of life and cultural backgrounds love a good, thick face of hair.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Likewise, scholarly exchanges are picking up.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Deadline asks the Festival chief whether Series Mania is focused on the highbrow of the drama spectrum.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Wagner would be a sleepless highbrow’s favorite; the long, lush, unbroken lines of music share with the white-noise hum of the air-conditioner or the thrum of the painstaking lecture the quality of being absorbing without offering undue eventfulness.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
