ENGLISH
REFERENCE

intelligent

adj.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˌɪnˈtɛɫədʒənt// UK //ɪntˈɛlɪdʒənt// in·tel·li·gent General-service

adj. having the ability to learn, understand, and use information well. You use this to describe people who are smart or machines that can think for themselves.

adj. possessing a high capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, and learning. In a technical context, it refers to systems capable of processing information and making autonomous decisions.


SIMPLE

She is an intelligent student who learns very quickly.

CONTEXTUAL

Modern homes use intelligent thermostats that learn your schedule to save energy automatically.

COMPLEX

The debate over whether machines can truly be intelligent often hinges on whether we define the term as mere processing power or as genuine consciousness.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle French intelligent, from Latin intellegēns (“discerning”), present active participle of intellegō (“understand, comprehend”), itself from inter (“between”) + legō (“choose, pick out, read”).

Etymology 2

Partly from Russian интеллиге́нт (intelligént) and partly from the adjective.

Usage

Typically used to modify nouns or as a subject complement after linking verbs like 'be' or 'seem'.

Pitfall

He is more intelligent than meHe is more intelligent than I amWhile common in speech, formal writing often requires the subject pronoun after 'than' to complete the implied clause.

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