IQ

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountableinitialism

   Initialism of intelligence quotient.

   Researchers found no link between shoe size and IQ.

   Her IQ was measured at 130 when she was in third grade.

   Note

   The everyday name for the score, which has largely displaced intelligence quotient and is written without periods. It works both ways: uncountable for the measure in general (shoe size and IQ), countable for one person's result (his IQ, parents with higher IQs). It also stands before other nouns, as in IQ tests and IQ scores. Roger R. Flynn warned in 1987 that IQ is not a ratio scale, so one score cannot be called double another.

2. 2
   noununcountableinitialism

   Initialism of image quality.

   The new sensor delivers noticeably better IQ at high ISO settings.

   Photographers compared the two cameras on IQ alone.

   Note

   Camera-review jargon, where the letters have nothing to do with the intelligence score. In photography the abbreviation bundles resolution, dynamic range, color accuracy and noise into one judgment, so a lens or sensor is said to deliver better or worse IQ. Context usually settles which IQ is meant: beside talk of ISO settings, sensors and lenses, it is the picture being measured, not the photographer.

3. 3
   noununcountableinitialism

   Initialism of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit.

   The territorial government drew on IQ when setting hunting quotas.

   Elders shared IQ about sea-ice conditions with the visiting researchers.

   Note

   An English abbreviation for an Inuktitut term, used mainly in Canadian governance, especially in Nunavut, where Inuit traditional knowledge serves as a basis for decision-making. It behaves like the word knowledge, usually taking no article, as in drawing on IQ or sharing IQ. Inuit in the full name works as an adjective meaning "of Inuit people or culture," so the phrase names a body of knowledge rather than a group of people.

4. 4
   adjectiveslang

   Smart and intelligent; mentally sharp.

   Switching majors before the tuition hike was an IQ decision.

   Her friends call her IQ for always reading the room so quickly.

   Similarsmart, clever, shrewd, brainy

   Oppositedumb, stupid, foolish

   Note

   Slang that turns the intelligence score into praise: an IQ play is a smart move, made quickly and well. It usually sits before a noun naming an action or choice, such as play, move or decision, and it compares with more and most rather than an -er ending. Being slang, it suits casual talk; in careful writing, smart or shrewd says the same thing safely.

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