Synonyms for intellect
Most common
All synonyms
Noun
1. Intelligence — the faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty
mind, intelligence, brains informal, wit, head, reason, brain, smarts informal, genius, cleverness, consciousness, sense, comprehension, nous, psyche, judgment US, judgement UK, apprehension, esprit, conception
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
The faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.
Intellect is one of man's greatest powers.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- intellects → minds, intelligences, wits, heads…
Choose the right word
The instinct of animals is now held by many philosophers to be of the same nature as the intellect of man, but inferior and limited; yet the apparent difference is very great.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- brain Researchers Identify New Receptor Complex in Brain
- intelligence My kitchen help has the intelligence of a spatula.
- genius No one recognized Tom's genius while he was alive.
- wit It's obvious he's a half-wit, just looking at him.
- understanding The mystery of life is beyond human understanding.
- intellectual Jean Amrouche is a well-known Kabyle intellectual.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| intellect | steady | |
| brain | rising | |
| intelligence | rising | |
| genius | steady | |
| wit | falling | |
| understanding | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- wit1
- 4 letters
- head1, mind1, nous1
- 5 letters
- sense1, brain1
- 6 letters
- reason2, genius2, brains1, psyche2, smarts1, esprit2
- 8 letters
- judgment2
- 9 letters
- judgement2
- 10 letters
- conception3, cleverness3
- 12 letters
- intelligence4, intellectual5, apprehension4
- 13 letters
- understanding4, consciousness3, comprehension4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (reason2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- intellect
- Italiano
- intelletto
- Español
- intelecto
- Deutsch
- Intellekt