intelligentsia

 
Pronunciation: /ɪnˌtɛlɪˈdʒɛntsɪə/

noun

[treated as singular or plural] (usually the intelligentsia)
  • intellectuals or highly educated people as a group, especially when regarded as possessing culture and political influence: a distrust of the intelligentsia and of theoretical learning the belief that the liberal intelligentsia is ruining the country

Origin:

early 20th century: from Russian intelligentsiya, from Polish inteligencja, from Latin intelligentia (see intelligence)