Meaning & use
intellect
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Meanings
noununcountable
The ability to think, understand, and reason, especially at a high level.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the power itself: She has a sharp intellect.
Patterns
- a person of intellect
- a sharp intellect
She was admired for her powerful intellect.
His intellect made him a natural leader in the research group.
The debate was a meeting of great intellects.
nouncountable
A very intelligent person.
Grammar: Countable when referring to a person: one of the great intellects of the age.
Patterns
- a great intellect
- one of the finest intellects
He was one of the finest intellects of his generation.
The university attracted intellects from around the world.
Word forms
| plural | intellects |
|---|
Common combinations
- sharp intellect
- Her sharp intellect impressed the interviewers.
- a person of intellect
- He is a person of considerable intellect.
- great intellect
- She is regarded as a great intellect in the field.
- appeal to someone's intellect
- The course appeals to your intellect as well as your emotions.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intelligence
- Broader: it covers learning ability and problem-solving in general, while intellect emphasizes high-level reasoning.
- brains
- Informal; use it in everyday speech rather than formal writing.
- mind
- Refers to the whole thinking faculty, not just the power to reason.
Word family
- intellectual adjective
- Relating to the ability to think and understand.
- intellectual noun
- A person who works with ideas and reasoning.
- intellectually adverb
- In a way that involves thinking and reasoning.
Commonly confused: intellect or intelligence?
intellect vs intelligence
Intellect is the power to reason at a high level; intelligence is the general ability to learn and understand. A person can have high intelligence without being called an intellect.
Practice
She is widely respected as one of the great ______ of our time.
Choose one answer.
A plural countable noun is needed to refer to people, so 'intellects' is correct. 'Intellect' is uncountable for the ability, and 'intellectual' is an adjective or a singular noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intellect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.