Intelligence vs. Smartness — What's the Difference?

Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be described as the ability to perceive or infer information, and to retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviors within an environment or context.

Having or showing intelligence; bright.

The ability to acquire, understand, and use knowledge

Canny and shrewd in dealings with others

Information, especially secret information gathered about an actual or potential enemy or adversary.

Amusingly clever; witty

The gathering of such information

Impertinent; insolent

An agency or organization whose purpose is to gather such information

Energetic or quick in movement

An intelligent, incorporeal being, especially an angel.

Fashionable; elegant

Of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings, acquire knowledge, and apply it to practice; the ability to comprehend and learn.

Capable of making adjustments that resemble those resulting from human decisions, chiefly by means of electronic sensors and computer technology

The quality of making use or having made use of such capacities: depth of understanding, mental quickness.

To cause a sharp, usually superficial, stinging pain

(countable) An entity that has such capacities.

To be the location of such a pain

, often secret, about an enemy or about hostile activities.

To feel such a pain.

(countable) A political or military department, agency or unit designed to gather information, usually secret, about the enemy or about hostile activities.

To suffer acutely, as from mental distress, wounded feelings, or remorse

(dated) acquaintance; intercourse; familiarity.

Sharp pain or anguish

The act or state of knowing; the exercise of the understanding.

Smarts(Slang) Intelligence; expertise

The capacity to know or understand; readiness of comprehension; the intellect, as a gift or an endowment.

The state or quality of being smart, intelligence.

Information communicated; news; notice; advice.

The state or quality of being smart in appearance.

Acquaintance; intercourse; familiarity.

The result or product of being smart.

Knowledge imparted or acquired, whether by study, research, or experience; general information.

The quality or state of being smart.

An intelligent being or spirit; - generally applied to pure spirits; as, a created intelligence.

Intelligence as manifested in being quick and witty

The division within a military organization that gathers and evaluates information about an enemy.

Elegance by virtue of being fashionable

The ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience

A unit responsible for gathering and interpreting information about an enemy

Secret information about an enemy (or potential enemy);

New information about specific and timely events;

The operation of gathering information about an enemy