intellectual

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled intellectural

US /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #7343

Meanings

1

adj
Relating to the ability to think, understand, and reason.

Chess is a game that requires intellectual effort.
2

noun
A person who is well educated and enjoys thinking deeply about serious subjects.

The café was a meeting place for writers and intellectuals.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · relating to the ability to... rational

2 noun · a person who is well... scholar academic highbrow

More cerebral logical mental

Opposites

nonintellectualvisceral

Word family

Forms intellectualnessintellectuals

Derived forms anti-intellectualantiintellectualhyperintellectualintellectualisationintellectualishintellectualismintellectualistintellectualisticintellectualityintellectualizationintellectuallyintellectualness

Related forms bodily brainclerisyfaculty intellect intellectualize intelligence intelligent intelligentsia learnedoverintellectualize

Appears in

Etymology

From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis.

*leǵ- Proto-Indo-European intellectuel Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

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# intellectual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/
**Frequency rank:** 7343

## Meanings
1. Relating to the ability to think, understand, and reason.
2. A person who is well educated and enjoys thinking deeply about serious subjects.

## Examples
- Chess is a game that requires intellectual effort.
- The café was a meeting place for writers and intellectuals.

## Synonyms
- cerebral
- logical
- mental
- rational

## Antonyms
- nonintellectual
- visceral

## Derived Forms
- anti-intellectual
- antiintellectual
- hyperintellectual
- intellectualisation
- intellectualish
- intellectualism
- intellectualist
- intellectualistic
- intellectuality
- intellectualization
- intellectually
- intellectualness

## Related Forms
- bodily
- brain
- clerisy
- faculty
- intellect
- intellectualize
- intelligence
- intelligent
- intelligentsia
- learned
- overintellectualize

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *leǵ-
- Root: intellectuel

## Etymology
From Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis.

## AI Etymology
Intellectual comes from Old French intellectuel, from Latin intellectualis. The historical line also includes *leǵ-.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown

intellectual

Meanings

Thesaurus

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Phrases (3)

Etymology

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