intellectual
Other forms: intellectuals
The adjective intellectual describes something related to or using the mind or intellect. Your creative pursuit of singing in a rock band is different from your intellectual interest in 16th-century drama.
Intellectual is often used to describe intensive reasoning and deep thinking, particularly in relation to subjects that tend to spark deep discussion, such as literature or philosophy. An intellectual is also a noun for a cerebral or brainy person who engages in deep thinking, like Plato, Albert Einstein, or your classmate who can speak at length about the relationship between French existentialism and ice hockey.
Definitions of intellectual
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of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
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involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinctsynonyms: cerebral
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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”synonyms:educatedpossessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)rationalhaving its source in or being guided by the intellect (as distinguished from experience or emotion)reflectivedevoted to matters of the mindsophisticatedintellectually appealingmentalinvolving the mind or an intellectual processscholarlycharacteristic of scholars or scholarshipantonyms:nonintellectualnot intellectualanti-intellectual, philistinesmug and ignorant and indifferent or hostile to artistic and cultural valueslowbrow, lowbrowed, uncultivatedcharacteristic of a person who is not cultivated or does not have intellectual tastesmindlessrequiring little mental effortunscholarlynot scholarly
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a person who uses the mind creativelysynonyms: intellecttypes:anomalistsomeone who has a special interest in exceptional casesexponentsomeone who expounds and interprets or explainsalchemistone who was versed in the practice of alchemy and who sought an elixir of life and a panacea and an alkahest and the philosopher's stoneaphoristsomeone who formulates aphorisms or who repeats aphorismsbel esprita witty or clever person with a fine mindeggheadan intellectual; a very studious and academic personEinstein, brain, brainiac, genius, mastermindsomeone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originalityhighbrowa person of intellectual or erudite tastesbookman, scholar, scholarly person, studenta learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplinesspecifiersomeone who draws up specifications giving details (as for obtaining a patent)subjectivista person who subscribes to subjectivismidealogue, theoretician, theoriser, theorist, theorizersomeone who theorizes (especially in science or art)thinkersomeone who exercises the mind (usually in an effort to reach a decision)wonderersomeone who is curious about somethingalum, alumna, alumnus, grad, graduatea person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university)Arabista scholar who specializes in Arab languages and culturebibliographersomeone trained to prepare a list of writings showing when and where they were published (such as the writings of a single author or the works referred to in preparing a document)classifiera person who creates classificationsdivergent thinkera thinker who moves away from the problem as stated and often has novel ideas and solutionsdivinersomeone who claims to discover hidden knowledge with the aid of supernatural powersdoubting Thomassomeone who demands physical evidence in order to be convinced (especially when this demand is out of place)excogitatora thinker who considers carefully and thoroughlyforecaster, predictor, prognosticator, soothsayersomeone who makes predictions of the future (usually on the basis of special knowledge)goliarda wandering scholar in medieval Europe; famed for intemperance and riotous behavior and the composition of satirical and ribald Latin songshistorian, historiographera person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about ithumanista classical scholar or student of the liberal artsinitiate, learned person, pundit, savantsomeone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly fieldIslamista scholar who knowledgeable in Islamic studieslicentiateholds a license (degree) from a (European) universityMasorete, Masorite, Massoretea scholar who is expert on the Masorah (especially one of the Jewish scribes who contributed to the Masorah)mastersomeone who holds a master's degree from academic institutionmujtihadan Islamic scholar who engages in ijtihad, the effort to derive rules of divine law from Muslim sacred textsmusicologista student of musicologybookworm, pedant, scholastica person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they meritpessimista person who expects the worstphilomatha lover of learningphilosophera specialist in philosophypost doc, postdoca scholar or researcher who is involved in academic study beyond the level of a doctoral degreeconvergent thinker, problem solver, solvera thinker who focuses on the problem as stated and tries to synthesize information and knowledge to achieve a solutionprodigyan unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person; someone whose talents excite wonder and admirationreadera person who enjoys readingRenaissance mana scholar during the Renaissance who (because knowledge was limited) could know almost everything about many topicsRenaissance man, generalista modern scholar who is in a position to acquire more than superficial knowledge about many different interestsrocket scientista clever thinkersagea mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdomsalutatorian, salutatory speakera graduating student with the second highest academic rank; may deliver the opening address at graduation exercisesscholiasta scholar who writes explanatory notes on an author (especially an ancient commentator on a classical author)Schoolman, medieval Schoolmana scholar in one of the universities of the Middle Ages; versed in scholasticismSinologista student of Chinese history and language and culturespeculatorsomeone who makes conjectures without knowing the factstheologian, theologiser, theologist, theologizersomeone who is learned in theology or who speculates about theologyvaledictorian, valedictory speakerthe student with the best grades who usually delivers the valedictory address at commencementVedista scholar of or an authority on the Vedas
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