Intellectualize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɪntəˈlɛkt͡ʃuəlaɪz/

Definitions

1. To seek to understand complicated concepts or feelings through rational analysis, distancing oneself from the emotional components involved, and articulating thoughts with a focus on cognitive reasoning
2. To analyze or discuss complex ideas in a manner that emphasizes logic and reasoning over emotions, while also detaching personal experiences from the thought process
3. To approach understanding by focusing on logical reasoning and setting aside subjective feelings

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: "intellectual" plus the suffix "-ize," which English took over from Greek "-izein" through Late Latin "-izare" and Old French "-iser." The suffix turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make or treat as," so "intellectualize" means to treat something in intellectual terms. The suffix itself carries a long history. Its Ancient Greek form, "-izein," was used to build verbs such as "baptizein" ("to baptize") and "philosophizein" ("to philosophize"), and Latin later adopted it as "-izare." Through French it reached Middle English as "-isen," which in time settled into the modern "-ize" spelling. Because the suffix is so productive, English has used it to coin many verbs that describe a way of thinking or behaving, and "intellectualize" fits that pattern. Its sense, to reason through a feeling in order to keep it at a distance, follows from the core meaning: to treat an emotional matter as a matter for the intellect.

Synonyms: rationalize, analyze, theorize, conceptualize, abstract

Antonyms: simplify, dumb down, distort, misrepresent, overlook