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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

intellectual

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noun

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
Adjective
Leading new college students through an ethical analysis of Marvel movies seemed like an opportunity to work on useful intellectual skills in a low-pressure environment. James Calvin Davis, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025 Go deeper: 23 things to do in Matthews, 25 minutes from Uptown Bitty and Beau's The vibe: A spacious coffee shop by the Rail Trail in South End that employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mckenzie Rankin, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
Noun
This critique involved not just intellectuals on the left, but also famous American realists who played a key part in rallying U.S. liberal opinion to resist Nazism and Stalinism. Anatol Lieven, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 The children of the landowners, the intellectuals, and those associated with the old social order were all heavily impacted by this event. John Ruwitch, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intellectual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectual
Adjective
  • If Santo Stefano is cerebral, Santa Sabina is ethereal — as iridescent as a soap bubble but as solid as stone.
    The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
  • The folding of cerebral tissue is one of the brain’s most distinctive features.
    Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Garrett Whitlock pitched in his first game since an internal brace procedure in May.
    Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
  • For us, we’re governed more so from our internal governing body.
    Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Known for his flip-up sunglasses, Dwayne made being a math nerd cool, and his flirtatious antics and relationship with Whitley often took center stage.
    Emily Krauser, People.com, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Bravo! Adam Sandler’s Song: 50 Years In his song about 50 years of SNL, Sandler calls out things everyone knows about the show—that the cast is often visibly looking at cue cards—and things only SNL nerds and actual cast members know—that Steven Spielberg is a frequent visitor.
    Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • National Cares Mentoring Movement provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The initiative costs a one-time $50 fee and aims to help adults who did not complete high school unlock new academic and career opportunities.
    Denver7, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Dyrholm’s typically fearless performance is attentive to the character’s particular physical restrictions, but with a raging inner clarity that often erupts as a result.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Take the Pet Personality Test to uncover their inner instincts and better understand their unique traits.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Richie Grainge herself has evolved her stylistic approach from an ostentatious Los Angeleno verve into a look that’s more low-key highbrow.
    Nick Remsen, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Adjective
  • The firm also is known for its academic research and scholarly publications.
    Anthony DeMarco, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
  • All this has left many faculty members feeling beside the point, especially in pursuits like chemistry, classics, English, government, or law—five scholarly fields that together produced every Harvard president of the twentieth century.
    Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Williamson said earlier this week that his hamstring is completely healed, but his mental state remains a work in progress.
    oregonlive, oregonlive, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Sign up That Torrance pushed Vial and Eduardo to such mental anguish does not surprise immigrant-justice advocates.
    María Inés Taracena, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Intellectual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectual. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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