intelligence
/ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/
intelligence means the capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence. It carries an Arena rating of 1403, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, intelligence ranks #2,472 of 17,052 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,929 of 17,052 for Most Sublime Words, #7,943 of 17,052 for Most Ponderous Words, #8,015 of 17,052 for Most Beautiful Words.
intelligence is pronounced /ɪnˈtɛl.ɪ.d͡ʒəns/.
Why “intelligence” is a great word
The capacity for understanding, learning, reasoning, and applying knowledge. From Middle English intelligence, from Old French intelligence, from Latin intelligentia ("understanding"), from inter- ("between") + legere ("to choose, pick out, read"). Unlike "cleverness," which thrives on nimble, situational fixes, or "knowledge," which is the accumulated archive, intelligence is the faculty of discerning synthesis—the child predicting a liquid's flow, the prisoner crafting a lock from memory, the mind tracing constellations between disparate facts. It is the quiet machinery of comprehension that continues to operate long after the specific lessons have faded.
Etymology
From Middle English intelligence, from Old French intelligence, from Latin intelligentia, which is from inter- (“between”) + legere (“to choose, pick out, read”), from Proto-Italic *legō (“to care”). Doublet of intelligentsia.
noun
- The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence.
- The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence.; An individual's expected relative performance in a cognitive test.e.g.“intelligence quotient”
- The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn; the ability to process sentient experience to generate true beliefs with a justified degree of confidence.; The quality of making use or having made use of such capacities: depth of understanding, mental quickness.
- An entity that has such capacities.e.g.“The great Intelligences fair
That range above our mortal state,
In circle round the blessed gate,
Received and gave him welcome there.”
- Information, often secret, about an enemy or about hostile activities.
- Information, often secret, about an enemy or about hostile activities.; A political or military department, agency or unit designed to gather information, usually secret, about the enemy or about hostile activities.
- Acquaintance; intercourse; familiarity.
Words closest in meaning
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