intellectualism

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəˌlɪzəm/ UK /ˌɪntɪˈlɛktjuəlɪzəm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
devotion to or emphasis on intellect and rational thought

His dry intellectualism left little room for sentiment.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · devotion to or emphasis on... rationalismcerebralismscholarship

Opposites

anti-intellectualismemotionalismempiricism

Word family

Related forms intellect intellectual intellection intelligence

Etymology

From intellectual + -ism; intellectual derives from Latin intellectualis, from intellectus ('understanding'), from intellegere ('to understand').

intellectus Latin intellegere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# intellectualism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɪntəˈlɛktʃuəˌlɪzəm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɪntɪˈlɛktjuəlɪzəm/

## Meanings
1. devotion to or emphasis on intellect and rational thought

## Examples
- His dry intellectualism left little room for sentiment.

## Synonyms
- rationalism
- cerebralism
- scholarship

## Antonyms
- anti-intellectualism
- emotionalism
- empiricism

## Related Forms
- intellect
- intellectual
- intellection
- intelligence

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: intellectus
- Root: intellegere

## Etymology
From intellectual + -ism; intellectual derives from Latin intellectualis, from intellectus ('understanding'), from intellegere ('to understand').

## AI Etymology
intellectualism comes from intellectual + -ism; intellectual derives from Latin intellectualis, from intellectus ('understanding'), from intellegere ('to understand'). Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the noun sense is "devotion to or emphasis on intellect and rational thought", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as intellect, intellectual, intellection, and intelligence. Its semantic neighborhood includes rationalism, cerebralism, and scholarship, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin intellectus and Latin intellegere.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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