autointellectual
|au-to-in-tel-lec-tu-al|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊɪnˈtɛlɪktʃuəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊɪnˈtɛlɪktʃuəl/
self-styled intellectual
Etymology
'autointellectual' is a modern English blend formed from the prefix 'auto-' (from Greek 'autos', meaning 'self') and 'intellectual' (from Latin 'intellectus', meaning 'understanding, mind').
'auto-' comes from Greek 'autos' ("self"); 'intellectual' derives from Latin 'intellectus', from 'intellegere' (to understand) and passed into English via French/Medieval Latin. The compound 'autointellectual' is a recent coinage combining these elements to mean a self-identifying intellectual.
Initially the elements meant 'self' + 'relating to intellect'; over time, as a coined compound, it acquired the narrower modern sense of 'a person who styles themself as an intellectual' often with a connotation of affectation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who presents themselves as an intellectual, especially someone self-taught or self-styled; often implies the status is assumed or pretentious (similar to 'self-styled intellectual' or 'pseudo-intellectual').
He calls himself an autointellectual, but most people see him as a pseudo-intellectual who reads selectively.
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Adjective 1
describing behavior, style, or attitudes that resemble those of a self-styled intellectual (often implying pretension or superficial display of learning).
Her autointellectual remarks at the party felt more performative than insightful.
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Last updated: 2025/11/26 06:38