intelligent

adjective

in·​tel·​li·​gent in-ˈte-lə-jənt How to pronounce intelligent (audio)
Synonyms of intelligentnext
1
a
: having or indicating a high or satisfactory degree of intelligence and mental capacity
b
: revealing or reflecting good judgment or sound thought : skillful
2
a
: possessing intelligence
b
: guided or directed by intellect : rational
3
a
: guided or controlled by a computer
especially : smart sense 7c compare dumb sense 7
b
: able to produce printed material from digital signals
an intelligent copier
intelligential
in-ˌte-lə-ˈjen(t)-shəl How to pronounce intelligent (audio)
adjective
intelligently
in-ˈte-lə-jənt-lē How to pronounce intelligent (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of intelligent

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for intelligent

intelligent, clever, alert, quick-witted mean mentally keen or quick.

intelligent stresses success in coping with new situations and solving problems.

an intelligent person could assemble it fast

clever implies native ability or aptness and sometimes suggests a lack of more substantial qualities.

clever with words

alert stresses quickness in perceiving and understanding.

alert to new technology

quick-witted implies promptness in finding answers in debate or in devising expedients in moments of danger or challenge.

no match for his quick-witted opponent

Examples of intelligent in a Sentence

She asked some intelligent questions. He's a hard worker but he's not very intelligent.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Workers assemble new energy vehicles at an intelligent factory of electric vehicle enterprise Leapmotor on January 13, 2026 in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province of China. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026 And Amodei, according to Bache, is an overthinker and a worrier, while Pichai is a highly intelligent strategist. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 Managers may increasingly need to understand not only the people reporting to them but the economics, performance and health of the intelligent system producing the work. — Keith Ferrazzi, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 Google Earbuds Prime Day Deal Experience intelligent, hands-free audio with the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for intelligent

Word History

Etymology

Latin intelligent-, intelligens, present participle of intelligere, intellegere to understand, from inter- + legere to gather, select — more at legend

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of intelligent was circa 1540

Phrases Containing intelligent

Rhymes for intelligent

See All Rhymes for intelligent

Browse Nearby Words

intelligency
intelligent
intelligent design
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intelligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intelligent. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

intelligent

adjective
in·​tel·​li·​gent in-ˈtel-ə-jənt How to pronounce intelligent (audio)
1
a
: possessing intelligence
humans are intelligent beings
b
: showing a higher than average degree of intelligence
an intelligent student
c
: revealing or reflecting good judgment or sound thought
an intelligent decision
2
: able to perform computing tasks : controlled by a computer
an intelligent terminal
intelligently adverb

Legal Definition

intelligent

adjective
in·​tel·​li·​gent
: having or indicating a high or satisfactory degree of intelligence and mental capacity
especially : having or indicating an understanding of the nature and consequences of an act or decision
a knowing and intelligent waiver of counsel
compare knowing

Note: Under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), a waiver of rights must be knowing and intelligent.

intelligently adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All