as in literati
intellectuals considered as a social class
a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others
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Recent Examples of intelligentsia
During the 1960s, information spread with impressive speed: something akin to social networks formed among the intelligentsia, a process that had already begun under Nikita Khrushchev but reached its full extent in the early Brezhnev years.
—
Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2024
The musical intelligentsia had turned out en masse.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
How such a basic concept eludes the intelligentsia over here is beyond me.
—Philip Klein, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
Even the secular intelligentsia banded with the ayatollah, dismissing the protests and the blatant anti-Semitic and anti-feminist character of the new leadership as a few minor quirks upon which the great revolution could not afford to dwell.
—Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2024
The musical intelligentsia had turned out en masse.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
How such a basic concept eludes the intelligentsia over here is beyond me.
—Philip Klein, National Review, 8 Dec. 2023
Even the secular intelligentsia banded with the ayatollah, dismissing the protests and the blatant anti-Semitic and anti-feminist character of the new leadership as a few minor quirks upon which the great revolution could not afford to dwell.
—Roya Hakakian, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligentsia
Noun
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That’s my preferred interpretation, because the aristocrats and other elites in her novels are absurd creatures to begin with.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
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How she would be received by the notoriously liberal Hollywood elite became a burning question.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Democrats and the public-health clerisy denounced President Trump for rushing Covid vaccines.—
Allysia Finley,
WSJ,
4 Sep. 2022
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They are ruled by a grizzled and sclerotic clerisy that funnels resources to its private army, the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).—
Matthew Continetti,
National Review,
24 Sep. 2022
Noun
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Second lady elect Usha Vance opted for a pink tea-length Oscar de la Renta coat and taupe boots.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
20 Jan. 2025
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With every point so critical, will coach Martin St. Louis elect to give Dobes more starts — or perhaps even a run of games at some point?—
Carol Schram,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to intelligentsia
Cite this Entry
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligentsia. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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