intelligentsia
/ɪnˌtɛlɪˈdʒɛntsɪə
/noun [treated as singular or plural] (usually the intelligentsia)
Intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, especially when regarded as possessing culture and political influence: a distrust of the intelligentsia and of theoretical learning the belief that the liberal intelligentsia is ruining the country...
- They were followed by the intelligentsia and cultural élites.
- Only political leaders and the intelligentsia in the Arab countries were interviewed.
- A disproportionately high number of signatories belonged to the intelligentsia or the officer corps.
Synonyms
intellectuals, intelligent people, academics, scholars, learned people, literati, culturati, men and women of letters, cognoscenti, illuminati, highbrows, bluestockings, thinkers, brains;
the intelligent
informal eggheads
British informal boffins
Origin
Early 20th century: from Russian intelligentsiya, from Polish inteligencja, from Latin intelligentia (see intelligence).