intelligence

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Capacity to learn

Nouns

1. intelligence, capacity, comprehension, apprehension, understanding; parts, sagacity, [mother] wit, esprit; intelligence quotient, IQ, acuteness, shrewdness, cunning; acumen, subtlety, penetration; perspicuity, perspicacity, percipience; discernment, good judgment; levelheadedness, common sense, discrimination; refinement (see taste); knowledge; head, brains, mind, intellect; eagle eye; genius, inspiration, soul; talent, aptitude (see skill). Informal, horse or cat sense, little gray cells.

2. genius, intellectual, intellect, pundit; scholar (see learning); idiot savant; intelligentsia, literati. Slang, pointy-head, egghead, beard, highbrow.

Verbs

1. be intelligent, have all one's wits about one; understand, grasp, comprehend, figure or make out; come to terms or grips with; take a hint; see through, take in, see at a glance, see with half an eye; dawn on one; penetrate; discern (see vision). Informal, sink or soak in; catch or latch on (to).

2. be levelheaded, have one's feet on the ground, have one's head screwedon the right way, have a good head on one's shoulders.

3. understand, fathom, grasp, comprehend. Slang, colly. See meaning.

Adjectives — intelligent, quick, keen, brainy, acute, alive, awake, bright, brilliant, sagacious, sharp; nimble- or quick-witted; wide awake; cunning, canny, arch, shrewd, astute; clearheaded or -eyed; farsighted; discerning, perspicacious, penetrating, subtle, perceptive, piercing, sharp [as a tack orneedle]; alive to, aware of (see knowledge); clever (see skill). Informal, not so dumb, no flies on, not just a pretty face. Slang, not born yesterday, laser-eyed.

Phrases — genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains; genius without education is like silver in the mine; skill without genius is not much, but genius without skill is nothing.

Quotations — The true genius is a mind of large general powers, accidentally determined to some particular direction (Samuel Johnson), Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration (Thomas Edison), A man of genius makes no mistakes (James Joyce), The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it (La Rochefoucauld), Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen (Albert Einstein), Genius is an African who dreams up snow (Vladimir Nabokov), Everybody is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes (Edgard Varèse), Towering genius disdains a beaten path (Abraham Lincoln).

Antonyms, see ignorance.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Understanding]

Syn. perspicacity, discernment, comprehension; see acumen , judgment 1 .

2. [Ability]

Syn. capacity, skill, aptitude; see ability 1 , 2 .

3. [Secret information]

Syn. report, news, statistics, facts, inside information, account, knowledge, info*, the dope*, the lowdown*; see also data , knowledge 1 , news 1 , secret .

4. [The mind]

Syn. intellect, brain, mentality; see mind 1 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. smartness intellect, mind, brain power, brains, *smarts, *gray matter, *IQ, reasoning, sense, comprehension, understanding, wits, judgment, aptitude, genius, brilliance, cleverness, acumen, wisdom, astuteness, sagacity, creativity. ''The thing that enables a man to get along without an education.''—Albert Wiggam.

2. information news, report, data, facts, *low-down, surveillance.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. The faculty of thinking, reasoning, and acquiring and applying knowledge: brain (often used in plural), brainpower, intellect, mentality, mind, sense, understanding, wit. Slang: smart (used in plural). See ABILITY, THOUGHTS. 2.That which is known about a specific subject or situation: data, fact (used in plural), information, knowledge, lore. See KNOWLEDGE. 3. New information, especially about recent events and happenings: advice (often used in plural), news, tiding (often used in plural), word. Informal: scoop. See KNOWLEDGE, WORDS.