Meaning & use
super intellectual
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A person who is extremely intelligent and deeply interested in serious ideas and study.
Grammar: Countable noun: a super intellectual, two super intellectuals.
Patterns
- a super intellectual
- be a super intellectual
Her new professor is a super intellectual who has written ten books.
At the party he came across as a super intellectual, quoting philosophers all evening.
The magazine called her a super intellectual for her work on physics.
adjectivebefore a nouninformal
Extremely intelligent or focused on serious thinking and learning.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a super intellectual debate, a super intellectual crowd.
Patterns
- a super intellectual discussion
- a super intellectual atmosphere
The café has a super intellectual atmosphere, full of students reading.
They had a super intellectual conversation about the meaning of art.
His super intellectual style can be hard to follow in casual chat.
Word forms
| plural | super intellectuals |
|---|
Common combinations
- a super intellectual type
- He's a super intellectual type who reads three newspapers a day.
- super intellectual conversation
- Their dinner turned into a super intellectual conversation.
- come across as a super intellectual
- She can come across as a super intellectual at first.
- super intellectual circle
- He moved in a super intellectual circle of writers.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- intellectual adjective
- Relating to serious thinking and learning.
- intellectually adverb
- In a way that involves serious thinking.
Commonly confused: super intellectual or intellectual?
super intellectual vs intellectual
'Intellectual' alone is neutral and common; adding 'super' makes it informal and emphasises an extreme degree.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'super intellectual' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Super intellectual' works as a noun for a very clever, studious person, as in option 0. The other options use it as a verb or in an impossible structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “super intellectual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.