intelligentsia
noun
in·tel·li·gent·sia
in-ˌte-lə-ˈjen(t)-sē-ə 
-ˈgen(t)-
-ˈgen(t)-
: intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite
Examples of intelligentsia in a Sentence
a presidential candidate who was the darling of the intelligentsia—and very few others
Recent Examples on the Web
Revolutionary groups, often recruited from universities and the intelligentsia, were soon carrying out terrorist attacks in the cities.
—
Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Thousands of outstanding members of the intelligentsia had perished in Stalin’s prisons and camps, but lifelines could nonetheless be established between those who came before and those who came after.
—Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Popular opinion was also shaped by an overwhelmingly left-leaning intelligentsia created and shaped by the long national struggle against European imperialism.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
This connects to how the intelligentsia used to say AI art could never replace human art.
—James Barrat, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
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Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Thousands of outstanding members of the intelligentsia had perished in Stalin’s prisons and camps, but lifelines could nonetheless be established between those who came before and those who came after.
—Benjamin Nathans
september 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Popular opinion was also shaped by an overwhelmingly left-leaning intelligentsia created and shaped by the long national struggle against European imperialism.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
This connects to how the intelligentsia used to say AI art could never replace human art.
—James Barrat, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intelligentsia
Cite this Entry
“Intelligentsia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intelligentsia. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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