Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or relating to the intellect.
  • adjective Rational rather than emotional.
  • adjective Appealing to or engaging the intellect.
  • adjective Having or showing intellect, especially to a high degree. synonym: intelligent.
  • adjective Given to activities or pursuits that require exercise of the intellect.
  • noun An intellectual person.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of intellect or understanding; belonging to the mind; performed by the understanding; appealing to or engaging the intellect or the higher capacities of man; mental: as, intellectual powers or operations; intellectual amusements.
  • Perceived by the intellect; existing in the understanding; ideal.
  • Having intellect, or the power of understanding; characterized by intellect, or the capacity for the higher forms of knowledge: as, an intellectual being.
  • noun The intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties: commonly in the plural.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties.
  • noun A learned person or one of high intelligence
  • adjective Belonging to, or performed by, the intellect; mental
  • adjective Endowed with intellect; having the power of understanding; having capacity for the higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or mental capacity.
  • adjective Suitable for exercising the intellect; formed by, and existing for, the intellect alone; perceived by the intellect.
  • adjective Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Belonging to, or performed by, the intellect; mental; as, intellectual powers, activities, etc.
  • adjective Endowed with intellect; having the power of understanding; having capacity for the higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or mental capacity; as, an intellectual person.
  • adjective Suitable for exercising the intellect; formed by, and existing for, the intellect alone; perceived by the intellect; as, intellectual employments.
  • adjective Relating to the understanding; treating of the mind; as, intellectual philosophy, sometimes called "mental" philosophy.
  • noun An intelligent, learned person, especially one who discourses about learned matters.
  • noun archaic The intellect or understanding; mental powers or faculties.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a person who uses the mind creatively
  • adjective appealing to or using the intellect
  • adjective of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind
  • adjective involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French intellectuel, from Late Latin intellēctuālis, from Latin intellēctus, intellect; see intellect.]

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Examples

  • For those of you who may not be familiar with Objectivism, I would like to present to you the outlines of the Ojectivist point of view to help you under - stand why such an intellectual foundation is necessary for an * intellectual* defense of any ideas whether they are scientific, moral or political.

    The Genius of Isaac Bashevis Singer Hughes, Ted 1965

  • With regard to the intellectual and ethical condition of the soul and its destiny, the speculative thinkers of other nations, arguing from reason alone and having no divine revelation to guide or confirm their speculations, are agreed that the only way in which the soul, which belongs to a higher world, can be freed from this world of body and change is through _intellectual excellence_ and _right conduct_.

    A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy Isaac Husik 1907

  • It is true that a good deal is found in the dream content which might be understood as the result of another and more intellectual performance; but analysis shows conclusively every time that these _intellectual operations were already present in the dream thoughts, and have only been taken over by the dream content_.

    Dream Psychology Psychoanalysis for Beginners Sigmund Freud 1897

  • ˜intellectual integrity™ is ambiguous between integrity of the intellect and the integrity of the intellectual.

    Integrity Cox, Damian 2008

  • It may also be helpful to redefine IP within the company as information protection, since the term intellectual property fails to resonate with many employees.

    Protecting Your Intellectual Property in China David McHardy Reid 2008

  • The term intellectual property refers to areas such as copyright, designs, and patents, confidential information and trade marks.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • However, most who work in the field-including psychologists, activists, and bureaucrats-prefer the term intellectual disability.

    Slate Magazine 2010

  • However, most who work in the field-including psychologists, activists, and bureaucrats-prefer the term intellectual disability.

    Slate Magazine 2010

  • The term intellectual property refers to areas such as copyright, designs, and patents, confidential information and trademarks.

    News24 Top Stories 2010

  • The term intellectual property refers to areas such as copyright, designs, and patents, confidential information and trademarks.

    Latest News - Yahoo!7 News 2010

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