the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination
"we are told that man is endowed with reason and capable of distinguishing good from evil"
a person who uses the mind creatively
"The professor praised her intellect for finding an original solution to the complex engineering problem that no one else had considered."
The faculty of thinking, judging, abstract reasoning, and conceptual understanding; the cognitive faculty.
"After years of studying philosophy, she finally felt her intellect sharpen enough to grasp complex ethical dilemmas without hesitation."