English · Word Candidate

intellectual

/ˌɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃʊəl/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: intellectuals

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Liên quan đến trí tuệ; tinh thần hoặc nhận thức

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

intellectual powers, activities, etc.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Endowed with intellect; having a keen sense of understanding; having the capacity for higher forms of knowledge or thought; characterized by intelligence or cleverness

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Được trời phú cho trí tuệ; có khả năng hiểu biết sâu sắc

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

an intellectual person

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

An intelligent, learned person, especially one who discourses about learned matters.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Người thông minh, học thức, đặc biệt là người thảo luận về các vấn đề học thuật

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

It should be noted that there is now no intelligentsia that is not in some sense "Left". Perhaps the last right-wing intellectual was T. E. Lawrence. Since about 1930 everyone describable as an “intellectual” has lived in a state of chronic discontent with the existing order.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “intellectual” mean?

Pertaining to, or performed by, the intellect; mental or cognitive.

Is “intellectual” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.