# intelligent

Pronunciation: say "in-TEL-i-juhnt" /ɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒənt/

## Adjective

1. Possessing a high degree of mental ability, or a mind that works especially quickly.
   - Simple: Able to learn, understand, and think about things quickly and well.
   - _Her intelligent and curious mind made her a natural scientist._
   - _Crows are remarkably intelligent, using bent twigs as tools to reach food._
2. Well thought out and carefully considered.
   - Simple: Carefully thought out and showing good judgment.
   - _The committee praised the report's intelligent approach to the budget crisis._
   - _His handling of the negotiations was intelligent enough to avoid a costly strike._
3. Marked by thoughtful interaction or exchange.
   - Simple: Full of careful, thoughtful talk between people.
   - _Their conversation was intelligent, ranging from politics to poetry._
   - _The panel held an intelligent debate on climate policy._
4. Equipped with a built-in computer capability that senses the environment and operates automatically.
   - Simple: Built with a computer that senses its surroundings and acts on its own.
   - _Modern cars use intelligent braking systems that detect obstacles automatically._
   - _The building's intelligent lighting adjusts to occupancy and the level of daylight._
5. Having mental capacity at least roughly equal to that of human beings.
   - Simple: Having brain power at least as great as that of humans.
   - _Scientists debate whether a truly intelligent machine could ever match human reasoning._
   - _If we ever meet an intelligent species from another world, communication will be hard._

## Noun

6. A member of the intelligentsia, or more broadly any intelligent person.
   - Simple: A person who belongs to the educated, thinking class of a country, or simply a clever person.
   - _The journal was read mainly by intelligents in the capital._
   - _As a young intelligent, she debated philosophy in crowded cafés._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5** — From Middle French intelligent, from Latin intellegēns ("discerning"), the present active participle of intellegō ("understand, comprehend"), which itself comes from inter ("between") plus legō ("choose, pick out, read").
**Meaning 6** — This sense comes partly from Russian интеллиге́нт (intelligént) and partly from the adjective.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/intelligent (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).