n. The intellectual élite of a society (especially in nineteenth-century Poland, in Russia and later the Soviet Union).
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. an educated and intellectual{2} elite; intellectuals, collectively or considered as a class.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. an educated and intellectual elite
Word Usage
"The word intelligentsia derives from the Latin word intelligentia, meaning a group of people engaged in complex mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture."