- 1[uncountable, countable] the ability to think in a logical way and understand things, especially at an advanced level; your mind a man of considerable intellect Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebrilliant, formidable, great, … verb + intellecthave, use See full entry See related entries: Clever
- 2[countable] a very intelligent person She was one of the most formidable intellects of her time. Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin intellectus ‘understanding’, from intellegere ‘understand’, from inter ‘between’ + legere ‘choose’.Extra examples She has a formidable intellect. She uses her powerful intellect to examine the relationship between human society and nature. A teacher recognized his outstanding intellect. He liked to think of himself as a man of intellect and learning. It was lack of opportunity, not lack of intellect, that excluded women from higher education. She was a brilliant scholar with a formidable intellect.
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