intellectuelles

Intellectuelles is the feminine plural form of the French noun and adjective linked to intellect. As a noun, les intellectuelles refers to women who belong to the intellectual class—writers, philosophers, scientists, researchers—and who are recognized for their ideas and public engagement. Grammatically, intellectuelles also appears as the feminine plural agreeing with feminine nouns, for example des propositions intellectuelles or des idées intellectuelles, where it means intellectual in the feminine.

In practice, the term coexists with the masculine intellectuels; the masculine form has been more common in general discourse, while intellectuelles specifically emphasizes feminine authorship and influence, or feminine-coded contexts such as discussions about women's contributions to culture and thought.

In sociology and media, intellectuels (masc) or intellectuelles (fem) are used to describe a social stratum of public intellectuals who participate in shaping opinion, critique, and culture. The label is not fixed and varies by country, period, and political context. It can carry evaluative connotations—praising, critiquing, or defining what counts as intelligent or principled discourse.

Notes: The term is distinct from related notions like the broader élite intellectuelle or élite culturelle and from intellectuel- or intellectuelle-adjective usages that modify non-human nouns. In contemporary French, intellectuelles can be encountered in discussions about gender, representation, and the role of women in intellectual life.