in ‧ tel ‧ li ‧ gent S3 AC /ɪnˈtelədʒ ə nt, ɪnˈtelɪdʒ ə nt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ intelligence , ↑ intelligentsia , ↑ intelligibility ; adverb : ↑ intelligently , ↑ intelligibly ; adjective : ↑ intelligent ≠ UNINTELLIGENT , ↑ intelligible ≠ ↑ unintelligible ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: present participle of intelligere , intellegere 'to understand' , from inter- ( ⇨ ↑ inter- ) + legere 'to gather, choose' ]
1 . an intelligent person has a high level of mental ability and is good at understanding ideas and thinking clearly:
a group of highly intelligent (=very intelligent) students
Sontag was once famously described as the most intelligent woman in America.
2 . an intelligent comment, question, conversation etc shows that you have thought about something carefully and understand it well:
an intelligent question
You can’t have an intelligent conversation with him.
3 . an intelligent creature is able to think and understand:
Are there intelligent beings on other planets?
forms of intelligent life
4 . an intelligent machine, system etc is able to learn and use information
—intelligently adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ intelligent having a high level of mental ability, and good at thinking clearly and understanding ideas:
The top universities aim to select the most intelligent students.
▪ clever especially British English , smart especially American English intelligent, so that you can think and learn quickly and find ways to solve problems:
That was very clever of you. How did you do that?
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I wasn’t smart enough to be a lawyer.
▪ bright intelligent – used especially about children and young people:
He’s a very bright kid.
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the brightest student in the class
▪ brilliant extremely intelligent and good at the work you do:
a brilliant scientist
▪ gifted a gifted child is much more intelligent than most other children:
a special school for gifted children
▪ wise able to make good decisions and give sensible advice, especially because you have a lot of experience:
a wise old man
▪ cunning/crafty good at using your intelligence to get what you want, often by making secret plans or tricking people:
She was cunning enough to keep this latest piece of information secret.
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He’s a crafty old devil!
▪ brainy informal intelligent and good at studying:
My sister is the brainy one in our family.