verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To treat in an intellectual manner; to discuss or express intellectually. transitive

   "Sentiment is intellectualized emotion."

2. 2
   To endow with intellect; to bestow intellectual qualities upon; to cause to become intellectual. transitive
3. 3
   To find a seemingly rational explanation for. US, transitive
4. 4
   To find a seemingly rational explanation for.; To use (excessive) reasoning and rationalization to block out emotional stress and anxiety associated with painful or traumatic experiences. US, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms

analyzeapply reasoncerebratecogitateconceiveconceptualize

Example

More examples

"Sentiment is intellectualized emotion."

Etymology

From intellectual + -ize.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.