What is the Difference Between Intelligent and Intellectual

The main difference between intelligent and intellectual is that an intelligent person is able to learn and understand things quickly and easily, whereas an intellectual person is able to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas.

Both intelligence and intellectual refer to our mental abilities. They are associated with rational mental processes associated with the ability to identify and analyze complex ideas. We usually use these adjectives to describe experts in the field of academia.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Intelligent 
   – Definition, Features
2. What is Intellectual
     – Definition, Features
3. Similarities Between Intelligent and Intellectual
     – Outline of Common Characteristics
4. Difference Between Intelligent and Intellectual
    – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Intelligent, Intellect, Intellectual 

What is Intelligent

There is some controversy about the definition of intelligent as there is no universally agreed-upon definition. Some define it as a single, general ability, while others consider that it encompasses a range of aptitudes, skills, and talents. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, intelligence is “a mental quality that consists of the abilities to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand and handle abstract concepts, and use knowledge to manipulate one’s environment.” We can summarize this as our ability to learn, understand, and make judgments based on reason.

In general, intelligence involves different mental abilities like problem-solving, logic, reasoning, and planning. Moreover, we use the word intelligent to describe a quality in people. We usually use the adjective intelligent to describe those with a high mental capacity – the ability to easily learn or understand things or to deal with new situations. Furthermore, the intelligence levels of individuals differ according to various factors like genetics, education, and experience. We also consider individuals with high IQ levels (scores of intelligence quotient test) as intelligent people.

What Does Intellectual Mean

Intellectual is an adjective that relates to intellect and its use. Intellectual refers to the mind’s ability to think and understand complex ideas, solve problems, and reach correct conclusions about what is true and false. It is related to cognition – the rational mental processes that are associated with the ability to identify, analyze, memorize, and categorize. Furthermore, intellectual helps people to comprehend the objective facts regarding an external situation. In addition, the word intellect comes from the Latin word intellectus (from intelligere, meaning to understand).

An intellectual is an individual possessing superior intellectual ability. An intellectual individual is not just someone who is intelligent, but someone who is very intelligent. In a general context, we usually use the word intellectual to refer to the academic world– experts in academia are often considered intellectuals.

Similarities Between Intelligent and Intellectual

1. Both intelligence and intellectual refer to our mental abilities.
2. They are also associated with rational mental processes associated with the ability to identify and analyze complex ideas.
3. Moreover, we usually use these adjectives to describe experts in the field of academia.

Difference Between Intelligent and Intellectual

Definition

Intelligence can be simply defined as the ability to learn and understand things quickly and easily, whereas intellectual can be defined as the ability to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas.

Intensity

We sometimes use the term intellect to refer to people who are extremely intelligent.

Measure

It’s possible to measure intelligence, but it’s not possible to measure intellect.

Feelings vs Fact

Intelligence is related to feeling, while intellectual is related to fact.

Conclusion

Both intelligence and intellectual refer to our mental abilities. In a very simple sense, an intelligent person is able to learn and understand things quickly and easily, whereas an intellectual person is able to think and understand things, especially complicated ideas. Moreover, we sometimes use the term intellect to refer to people who are extremely intelligent. Therefore, this is the main difference between intelligence and intellectual.

Reference:

1. “Intellect and Intelligence.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers.
2. “Intellectual.” Swarthmore.
3. “Intellect.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Brain-mind-idea-thoughts-head-5694363” (CC0) via Pixabay