Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INTELLIGENTSIA
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pronounce
INTELLIGENTSIA:
Say it "IN tell uh JENT see uh."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
When you see the word intelligentsia, do you think of James Bond working for the Secret Intelligence Service, or do you think of Michel Martin reporting for NPR, a whole 'nother kind of Intelligence Service? In other words, who makes up the intelligentsia? Are they the spies or the smarties?
They're the smarties.
Well, and the influencers: the ones like NPR's Michel Martin who leverage their education and intellect to control the culture and exert political influence. They're journalists, artists, writers, doctors, and academics. They're out there changing the world. Stand back: they've got PhDs and they aren't afraid to use them.
See if you can recall a nasty word for folks who aren't in the intelligentsia: ph_______s are uneducated people who don't know or care much about culture and have lowbrow tastes. Ouch.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
We took this word from the Russian language in about 1883. It dates back to the time when Russia was controlling Poland, and the intelligentcja (the educated class) held political and cultural power.
So, in English today, the intelligentsia is any group of people (within a certain nation or culture) who are educated and powerful.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
It's a noun: "the intelligentsia."
Since it refers to a group, you can treat it like it's either singular or plural: "our intelligentsia ignores these people," or "our intelligentsia ignore these people."
Other forms:
We don't often pluralize it. But we can: "intelligentsias."
Since "intelligentsia" is a transliteration from Russian, we've got tons of alternate ways to spell it: intelligencia, intelligentcia, intelligentzia, and intelligenzia.
how to use it:
Like the people it describes, "intelligentsia" can come off as snobby, elite, or condescending. So use it with care.
Talk about someone belonging to (or being a member of) the intelligentsia. Or, talk about someone being a hero, a villain, or a product of the intelligentsia. Or, talk about the intelligentsia making judgments; providing insights; ignoring realities; or obsessing over a certain person, trend, idea, or movement.
You might specify which intelligentsia you're talking about by noting the time, the place, or the field: "the Moscow intelligentsia" (The New Yorker), "Brazil’s south-eastern intelligentsia" (The Guardian), "the 1950s American intelligentsia" (Los Angeles Times), "the financial intelligentsia in New York and Washington" (Washington Post).
examples:
"In the beginning, there was the keyboard. If you wanted to issue a command to your computer, you typed it. Then came the Apple Macintosh... No longer was the computer a plaything of the geeky intelligentsia!"
— David Pogue, Scientific American, 1 December 2018
"How mistaken were those who wrote or supposed that he was a man indifferent to public interests, to the whirling life of the intelligentsia, and to the burning questions of his time! He watched everything carefully, and thoughtfully."
— Maxim Gorky, Alexander Kuprin, and I. A. Bunin, Reminiscences of Anton Chekhov, 1921
has this page helped you understand "intelligentsia"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "intelligentsia" without saying "the educated class" or "the erudite of society."
try it out:
In the New York Times, Rod Nordland wrote:
"Kuwaitis like to think of their country as an enclave of intellectual freedom in the conservative Persian Gulf, a haven that once welcomed exiled Arab writers. But that self-image is becoming harder to sustain."
He explains that the government in Kuwait has been banning thousands of books, from children's stories to works of classic literature.
"Kuwait’s history of literary freedom is, activists say, the reason book banning is so distressing to the intelligentsia."
Talk about what he means. Why are the intelligentsia so upset about book banning?
And, can you think of anything going on in our own country that distresses the intelligentsia?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is Lightning Rhyming Recall!
In each issue this month, see how fast you can recall three words. They’re unrelated in meaning--probably--but they rhyme. To check your answers, scroll to the bottom of the issue. We’ll start out easy and ramp up the difficulty as the month goes on. Enjoy!
Each word below rhymes with FADE:
A. (3 syllables, noun) A formal outpouring of things or people, one that reminds you of a procession on horseback, is a...
B. (3 syllables, verb) To put on a metaphorical mask and pretend to be someone else is to...
C. (4 syllables, noun) A big show of bragging, as if accompanied by trumpets, is a...
review this word:
A. VANGUARD (leaders).
B. HOI POLLOI (regular folks).
C. AFICIONADOS (devoted fans).
2. You can think of them as special spheres of the intelligentsia: _____.
A. the orcs, the elves, and the goblins
B. the culturati, the literati, and the digerati
C. the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
When you see the word intelligentsia, do you think of James Bond working for the Secret Intelligence Service, or do you think of Michel Martin reporting for NPR, a whole 'nother kind of Intelligence Service? In other words, who makes up the intelligentsia? Are they the spies or the smarties? We took this word from the Russian language in about 1883. It dates back to the time when Russia was controlling Poland, and the intelligentcja (the educated class) held political and cultural power.
Part of speech:
Like the people it describes, "intelligentsia" can come off as snobby, elite, or condescending. So use it with care.
"In the beginning, there was the keyboard. If you wanted to issue a command to your computer, you typed it. Then came the Apple Macintosh... No longer was the computer a plaything of the geeky intelligentsia!"
Explain the meaning of "intelligentsia" without saying "the educated class" or "the erudite of society."
In the New York Times, Rod Nordland wrote:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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