intellectually
adv.in a way that relates to your mind and your ability to think and understand ideas. You use this when talking about mental activity rather than feelings or physical things.
adv.relating to the ability to think, reason, and understand complex ideas. Often used to distinguish mental processes from emotional or physical ones.
“The book is intellectually challenging but very rewarding.”
“While the job was physically easy, she found it intellectually draining because of the constant problem-solving required.”
“The professor argued that while the theory was intellectually sound, it lacked the empirical evidence necessary to convince the broader scientific community.”
Typically modifies adjectives or verbs related to mental effort; often placed before the adjective it modifies.
“That’s how I relate to art, emotionally rather than intellectually.”
“At the same time, acquiring a broad understanding of wine and winemaking is intellectually demanding.”
From intellectual + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.