intelligent

[in-tel-i-juh nt] /ɪnˈtɛl ɪ dʒənt/
adjective
1.
having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals:
an intelligent student.
2.
displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment:
an intelligent reply.
3.
having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence:
intelligent beings in outer space.
4.
Computers. pertaining to the ability to do data processing locally; smart:
An intelligent terminal can edit input before transmission to a host computer.
Compare dumb (def 8).
5.
Archaic. having understanding or knowledge (usually followed by of).
Origin
1500-10; < Latin intelligent- (stem of intelligēns, present participle of intelligere, variant of intellegere to understand, literally, choose between), equivalent to intel- (variant of inter- inter-) + -lig- (combining form of leg-, stem of legere to pick up, choose; cf. lection) + -ent- -ent
Related forms
intelligently, adverb
hyperintelligent, adjective
hyperintelligently, adverb
nonintelligent, adjective
nonintelligently, adverb
preintelligent, adjective
preintelligently, adverb
quasi-intelligent, adjective
quasi-intelligently, adverb
semi-intelligent, adjective
semi-intelligently, adverb
superintelligent, adjective
Can be confused
intelligent, intelligible, intellectual (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
1. bright. Intelligent, intellectual describe distinctive mental capacity. Intelligent often suggests a natural quickness of understanding: an intelligent reader. Intellectual implies not only having a high degree of understanding, but also a capacity and taste for the higher forms of knowledge: intellectual interests. 2. astute, clever, alert, bright, apt, discerning, shrewd, smart. See sharp.
Antonyms
1, 2. stupid.
Examples from the web for intelligent
  • The cute little creature requires a lot of ingenuity to foil because he is persistent, intelligent, and skillful.
  • For me your books are some of the best of intelligent stories dealing on crime and forensics.
  • They're not as intelligent as people make them out to be.
  • He wears a clean, straight mustache above an intelligent smile.
  • These animals are so intelligent, killing them for no reason is wrong.
  • They're actually the only organism that you could think of as being intelligent that's not a vertebrate.
  • Thank you for the music, thank-you also for the intelligent integrity of your life.
  • Dolphins are playful, intelligent creatures and swimming with them can be an unforgettable experience.
  • Swimming with majestic, intelligent animals such as dolphins can be both extremely rewarding and invigorating.
  • intelligent, savvy player who carries game-time intensity to practice.
British Dictionary definitions for intelligent

intelligent

/ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt/
adjective
1.
having or indicating intelligence
2.
having high intelligence; clever
3.
indicating high intelligence; perceptive: an intelligent guess
4.
guided by reason; rational
5.
(of computerized functions) able to modify action in the light of ongoing events
6.
(archaic) (postpositive) foll by of. having knowledge or information: they were intelligent of his whereabouts
Derived Forms
intelligently, adverb
Word Origin and History for intelligent
adj.

c.1500, a back-formation from intelligence or else from Latin intelligentem (nominative intelligens), present participle of intelligere, earlier intellegere (see intelligence). Intelligent design, as a name for an alternative to atheistic cosmology and the theory of evolution, is from 1999. Related: Intelligently.