A person who has taken 100 level classes at the local junior college in philosophy, psychology, and literature and pretends to be an intellectual by sprinkling obscure references in everyday speech. Somehow a reference to Kierkegaard will suddenly show up when deciding which toppings should go on a pizza. Or some reference they heard from the show Big Bang Theory, without citing the source, about Schrödinger's cat will pop up because they think it will impress everyone.
The comedian Dennis Miller is a good example.
The comedian Dennis Miller is a good example.
"If John is so smart, why does he work as a dishwasher at Shakey's"
"Don't be fooled, John is a Community College Intellectual with an inferiority complex."
"Don't be fooled, John is a Community College Intellectual with an inferiority complex."
by artist1955 November 18, 2022
Get the Community College Intellectual mug.Contrary to what the name suggests, it is a group of dumb ass motherfuckers who spend most of their time talking about bullshit
by TheHolyLordKnightGawd March 11, 2020
Get the Intellectual Brigade mug.by Calederon the philosopher March 15, 2022
Get the Intellectual mug.Intellectual masochist: is someone who seeks out mentally painful or exhausting scenarios - complex problems with no good solutions, philosophical paradoxes, depressing truths, cognitive dissonance - and engages with them voluntarily and even finds some satisfaction in the struggle itself. Like, most people avoid thinking about "will the AI revolution lead to my genocide faster or slower" because it's fucking depressing and paralyzing.
An intellectual masochist goes "hmm, let me really dig into this, map out all the scenarios, test the AI systems, have the hard conversations" - not because it feels good, but because wrestling with hard truths is preferable to comfortable ignorance.
An intellectual masochist goes "hmm, let me really dig into this, map out all the scenarios, test the AI systems, have the hard conversations" - not because it feels good, but because wrestling with hard truths is preferable to comfortable ignorance.
Sentence: As an intellectual masochist, she found herself compulsively drawn to the bleakest climate change models, preferring the grim satisfaction of understanding the full scope of the catastrophe to the uneasy comfort of willful ignorance.
by Evaler8 October 3, 2025
Get the Intellectual Masochist mug.An intellectual is someone who spends a lot of time studying and thinking about complicated ideas.
Highly respected person.
Highly respected person.
Our ancestors were eminent intellectual.
by Pranjal22.02 March 3, 2022
Get the eminent intellectual mug.Knowledge transfer without comprehension, or logical discovery. IE: Being trained vs. educated.
At a higher level this is akin to the Roman relationship with the Greeks, third world technology acquisition, and numerous examples.
At a higher level this is akin to the Roman relationship with the Greeks, third world technology acquisition, and numerous examples.
by cbocity September 19, 2016
Get the intellectual panhandling mug.The act of thinking, discussing, and/or philosophizing to no one’s spiritual, mental, or physical benefit, but purely for the sake of one’s own pleasure, intellectual self-satisfaction, and/or pride.
Note: Not all intellectual and philosophical discussion is intellectual masturbation, it only falls under the definition when it doesn’t benefit those in engaged in it, only harms due to wasted time and an artificial satisfaction in one’s self.
Note: Not all intellectual and philosophical discussion is intellectual masturbation, it only falls under the definition when it doesn’t benefit those in engaged in it, only harms due to wasted time and an artificial satisfaction in one’s self.
I remember when all I would do was engage in intellectual masturbation on Discord. I would use fancy words and blabber all day about philosophy, without actually applying it in any way whatsoever. I just derived pleasure from hearing myself speak about such abstract and complex subjects. What a fool I was.
by Tea76Crumpets796 October 1, 2022
Get the Intellectual Masturbation mug.