INTELLECTUALIST Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

intellectualist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of intellectualist

as in intellectual

much given to learning and thinking a small cadre of intellectualist reformers who had no idea of the concerns of the common folk

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intellectualist

2 of 2

noun

as in nerd

a person with strong intellectual interests being an intellectualist, he has little in common with the status-seeking philistines who live next door

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for intellectualist

Adjective

Plath is shown not as a passive victim of despair, but as a brilliant intellectual and visionary poet.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
In the process, Hall, Woodford, and other scholars helped breathe new life into the ideas of economics giant John Maynard Keynes, whose intellectual legacy, for a time, seemed in danger of melting away.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of intellectual

Adjective

If the source is a scholarly journal article, the article’s title appears in a larger font above the additional bibliographic information.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2026
Generating scholarly tomes at a rate of more than one a year involves obsessive amounts of research.

— Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of scholarly

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Intellectualist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intellectualist. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of intellectualist

adjective

noun

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