# intellectual

/ˌɪnəˈɫɛktʃuəɫ/ (US) · /ˌɪntəlˈɛktʃuːəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/intellectual
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. related to the mind

adjective · CEFR B2

related to your ability to think, understand, and learn rather than your feelings or physical skills.

For teachers: relating to the intellect or the cognitive processes of the mind, often contrasted with emotional or physical experience.

- The child showed great intellectual curiosity and was always asking how things worked.
- The professor argued that the student's intellectual development was far more significant than their performance on standardized tests.

### 2. requiring deep thought

adjective · CEFR B2

describing something that needs serious thought or study to understand.

For teachers: appealing to or requiring the use of the intellect; characterized by a high level of complexity or abstraction.

- They spent the evening having an intellectual discussion about history and politics.
- The documentary provides an intellectual challenge to the audience, forcing them to reconsider their assumptions about modern economics.

### 3. a person

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

a person who spends a lot of time thinking about complicated ideas and academic subjects.

For teachers: a person who engages in critical study, thought, and reflection about the reality of society.

- The city was a meeting place for artists and intellectuals during the 1920s.
- Public intellectuals often play a crucial role in shaping national discourse by translating complex academic theories into accessible social critiques.

## Examples

- She is a leading intellectual who writes about modern history.
- The university invited several prominent intellectuals to debate the future of artificial intelligence and its impact on society.
- Public intellectuals often bridge the gap between specialized academic research and the general population by translating complex sociological theories into accessible cultural critiques.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.