Meaning & use
intellectual horsepower
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Meaning
noununcountable
The mental ability and capacity for complex thought, especially as a resource in work or problem-solving.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: you can say 'a lot of intellectual horsepower' or 'great intellectual horsepower', but not 'an intellectual horsepower' or 'intellectual horsepowers'.
Patterns
- have intellectual horsepower
- bring intellectual horsepower to something
- a lack of intellectual horsepower
The company is looking for candidates with enough intellectual horsepower to handle complex data.
Her intellectual horsepower impressed everyone during the debate.
We need more intellectual horsepower on this project if we want to solve the problem quickly.
Common combinations
- lack intellectual horsepower
- The team seemed to lack intellectual horsepower when faced with the new challenge.
- bring intellectual horsepower
- She brings impressive intellectual horsepower to every meeting.
- intellectual horsepower to spare
- He has intellectual horsepower to spare and often finishes early.
- a lot of intellectual horsepower
- This project requires a lot of intellectual horsepower and creativity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brainpower
- Similar but slightly more informal; often used for mental effort or intelligence in general, not just capacity.
- intellect
- Refers to the ability to think logically and understand complex ideas, but is more formal and less about capacity as a resource.
- mental capacity
- A broader term that can also refer to legal or medical ability to make decisions, not just intellectual strength.
Word family
- intellectual adjective
- Relating to the ability to think and understand ideas.
- horsepower noun
- A unit for measuring the power of an engine; used figuratively here for mental power.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'intellectual horsepower' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Intellectual horsepower' is an uncountable noun meaning mental capacity, so it cannot be pluralized (not 'horsepowers') or measured in physical units like watts. Option C correctly uses it to describe mental ability.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intellectual horsepower”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.