Meanings
nounintellect (countable and uncountable, plural intellects)
plural intellects
- uncountableThe faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.
Intellect is one of man's greatest powers.
Synonyms: brain, brains, cleverness, head, brightness, esprit, intelligence, mind
- uncountableThe capacity of that faculty (in a particular person).
They were chosen because of their outstanding intellect.
1 more example
Arms of stripes and shirts of checks / You had a very nice intellect
1983, “Intelligence”, in Shiver, performed by Virna Lindt - countableuncountableA person who has that faculty to a great degree.
Some of the world's leading intellects were meeting there.
Synonyms: intellectual
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.
nounA person who has that faculty to a great degree.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination
Similar
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinintellegō“understand; reason”
- Late Latinintellēctus“understanding, intellect”
- Englishintellect
Borrowed from Late Latin intellēctus (“understanding, intellect”), from Latin intellegō (“understand; reason”), from inter (“between, among”) + legō (“read”), with connotation of bind.
More words from Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَقْل, فِطْنَة
- عَقْل (ʕaql)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- فِطْنَة (fiṭna)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ذِهْن (ḏihn)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ذَكَاء (ḏakāʔ)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Bengali বুদ্ধি, বুদ্ধিবৃত্তি
- বুদ্ধি (buddhi)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- বুদ্ধিবৃত্তি (buddhibritti)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- আক্কল (akkol)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Bulgarian интеле́кт, разсъ́дък
- интеле́кт (intelékt)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- разсъ́дък (razsắdăk)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ум (um)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ра́зум (rázum)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- акъ́л (akắl)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ум (um)that faculty in a particular person
- разсъ́дък (razsắdăk)that faculty in a particular person
- интелектуа́лец (intelektuálec)a person who has that faculty in great degree
Catalan intel·lecte
- intel·lectethe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Chinese Cantonese 思力, 心智
- 思力 (si¹ lik⁶)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 心智 (sam¹ zi³)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 智力 (zi³ lik⁶)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 智能 (zi³ nang⁴)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Chinese Mandarin 思力, 心智
- 思力 (sīlì)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 心智 (xīnzhì)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 智力 (zhìlì)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 智能 (zhìnéng)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Czech intelekt
- intelektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Danish intellekt
- intellektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Dutch intellect
- intellectthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Estonian intellekt, mõistus
- intellektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- mõistusthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Finnish äly, älykkö
- älythe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- älykköa person who has that faculty in great degree
- ajattelijaa person who has that faculty in great degree
French intellect
- intellectthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
German Intellekt
- Intellektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Greek νοημοσύνη, διάνοια
- νοημοσύνη (noïmosýni)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- διάνοια (diánoia)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- νόηση (nóisi)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Hebrew תְּבוּנָה
- תְּבוּנָה (tvuná)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Hindi बुद्धि, प्रज्ञा
- बुद्धि (buddhi)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- प्रज्ञा (prajñā)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- अक़्ल (aqla)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ज़ेहन (zehan)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Hungarian ész, intellektus
- észthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- intellektusthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- értelemthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Icelandic greind, vitsmunir
- greindthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- vitsmunirthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- intellektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Indonesian intelek, akal
- intelekthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- akalthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Irish intleacht
- intleachtthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Italian intelletto
- intellettothe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Japanese 知性、思考力, 智力
- 知性、思考力 (chisei)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 智力 (chiryoku)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 知恵 (chie)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 知能 (chinō)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Korean 지혜, 지력
- 지혜 (jihye)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 지력 (jiryeok)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 지성 (jiseong)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 사고력 (sagoryeok)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 지능 (jineung)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- 지식인 (jisigin)a person who has that faculty in great degree
Latin intellectus, intellectus
- intellectusthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- intellectusthat faculty in a particular person
Latvian intelekts
- intelektsthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Lithuanian intelektas
- intelektasthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Malay intelek, akal
- intelekthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- akalthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Māori ihomatua, hirikapo
- ihomatuathe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- hirikapothe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ihumaneaa person who has that faculty in great degree
Norwegian Bokmål intellekt
- intellektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Polish intelekt, rozum
- intelektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- rozumthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- rozsądekthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Portuguese intelecto, intelecto
- intelectothe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- intelectothat faculty in a particular person
- intelectuala person who has that faculty in great degree
Romanian intelect, intelect
- intelectthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- intelectthat faculty in a particular person
- intelectuala person who has that faculty in great degree
- intelectualăa person who has that faculty in great degree
Russian интелле́кт, ра́зум
- интелле́кт (intellékt)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ра́зум (rázum)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ум (um)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- рассу́док (rassúdok)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- интеллектуа́л (intellektuál)a person who has that faculty in great degree
Slovak intelekt, um
- intelektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- umthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Spanish intelecto
- intelectothe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Swedish intellekt
- intellektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Thai ปัญญา, สมอง
- ปัญญา (bpan-yaa)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- สมอง (sà-mɔ̌ɔng)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- เมธา (mee-taa)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Turkish entelekt, akıl
- entelektthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- akılthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- zihinthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- zekâthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Ukrainian інтеле́кт, ро́зум
- інтеле́кт (intelékt)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ро́зум (rózum)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- розсу́док (rozsúdok)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- глузд (hluzd)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Urdu عَقْل, ذِہْن
- عَقْل ('aql)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ذِہْن (zihn)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- ذِہَن (zihan)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Vietnamese trí tuệ, trí năng
- trí tuệthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
- trí năngthe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Welsh dealltwriaeth
- dealltwriaeththe faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Yiddish אינטעלעקט
- אינטעלעקט (intelekt)the faculty of knowing and reasoning; understanding
Cite this entry
APA
intellect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intellect
MLA
“intellect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intellect. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intellect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intellect.
Source: intellect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.