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as in smart
having or showing quickness of mind proud parents typically insist that their child is intelligent way beyond his or her years his intelligent response to the emergency averted a disaster

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word intelligent distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of intelligent are alert, clever, and quick-witted. While all these words mean "mentally keen or quick," intelligent stresses success in coping with new situations and solving problems.

an intelligent person could assemble it fast

When is alert a more appropriate choice than intelligent?

While in some cases nearly identical to intelligent, alert stresses quickness in perceiving and understanding.

alert to new technology

When would clever be a good substitute for intelligent?

Although the words clever and intelligent have much in common, clever implies native ability or aptness and sometimes suggests a lack of more substantial qualities.

clever with words

When might quick-witted be a better fit than intelligent?

The words quick-witted and intelligent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of intelligent The intelligent failures are the ones that matter here, the ones parents should let happen to help children thrive. Amy Edmondson, Scientific American, 7 Apr. 2025 There are lots of technological roadblocks stopping artificially intelligent cars from getting on the road. New Atlas, 6 Apr. 2025 The intelligent response from overseas would be to lower tariffs on U.S. imports. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025 Studies from Oregon State University found that Black male athletes were viewed as more intelligent and hardworking when dressed in formal clothing compared to athleisure. Boutayna Chokrane, Wired News, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intelligent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intelligent
Adjective
  • The style is a challenge: should their comedy be smart and savvy or broad and easy-going?
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Vara is an appealing narrator—smart, funny, honest, and a little neurotic.
    Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Rajula Srivastava, for contributions in harmonic analysis and analytic number theory, including contributions to the problem of counting rational points near smooth manifolds.
    Alex Cramer, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2025
  • The individual leader faces a prisoner's dilemma where the rational choice for personal advancement conflicts with the collective interest.
    Nate Bennett, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Often, that support has come in the form of discreet investments.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
  • In markets like New York or Los Angeles, the focus tends to be on heritage, privacy, and a discreet kind of exclusivity.
    Amanda Lauren, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The lingo, the faces, the concerns – all seemed, if not entirely authentic, then at least clever enough to create some backstage buzz.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Just make sure your clever solution doesn’t create additional fire hazards i.e. don’t hide cords under a rug.
    Maddie Topliff, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Dawn Staley, who’s undefeated in NCAA finals, is cautious in taking that fact into consideration.
    Roberta F. Rodrigues, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Those with heart conditions, including a recent heart attack or stroke, should also be cautious about taking medications that contain PDE5 inhibitors.30 The safety and side effects of the ingredients in ExtenZe have not been studied in clinical trials.
    Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In warmer climates, for example, the liquid expands and contracts more rapidly, which can lead to a quicker extraction of flavors from the barrel.
    Emily Price, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The director is also quick to point out how this mindset is not exclusive to the U.S. but is also widely spreading in Europe and across the world.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Netanyahu was told to be reasonable on Turkey Since the fall of the Assad dynasty in Syria late last year, Israel and Turkey have been competing in the country over their separate interests there.
    Time, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Given that this decline coincided with the large-scale movement of the US Commercial fishing fleet into those waters, the idea that overfishing might have something to do with it seemed a reasonable hypothesis.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The Football Observatory reports that the average transfer fee in the 2022/23 season approximated €4 million—a testament to the economic potential of judicious talent management.
    Priya Oberoi, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
  • As is often the case with slow-burn horror built on judicious restraint, those climactic events are arguably less effective in their relative explicitness than the preceding unease.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Intelligent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intelligent. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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