If these 10 words are part of your vocabulary, you’re a highly intelligent person

by Lachlan Brown | July 31, 2025, 9:13 pm

Let’s get one thing straight: vocabulary isn’t just about knowing big, obscure words that win spelling bees. It’s about using the right words to express complex thoughts clearly, adapt your language to different contexts, and connect deeply with others. In fact, psychologists have long considered a rich vocabulary a powerful marker of intelligence—not just academic intelligence, but emotional and social intelligence too.

So, if these 10 words are already in your vocabulary—and you use them with intent—there’s a good chance you’re a highly intelligent person.

1. Nuance

A highly intelligent person doesn’t see the world in black and white. They recognize the grey zones—the subtleties, the exceptions, the in-betweens. That’s why the word nuance is a favorite.

Example:

“There’s a lot of nuance in this situation—we can’t jump to conclusions.”

Understanding nuance means understanding that life, people, and ideas are rarely ever simple. The more you appreciate nuance, the more likely it is you engage in critical thinking.

2. Empathy

This isn’t just a word—it’s a superpower. Using empathy in your vocabulary suggests you care about other people’s emotions, and you can mentally place yourself in their shoes.

Example:

“Let’s try to approach this with empathy. He’s probably going through something.”

People with high emotional intelligence don’t just understand themselves—they also intuit what others are feeling. If you value and use this word, it says a lot about your interpersonal depth.

3. Paradox

A paradox isn’t a problem to be solved—it’s a reality to be accepted. Intelligent people are drawn to paradoxes because they reveal truths that can’t be explained with simple logic.

Example:

“It’s a paradox—she’s deeply independent, yet craves connection.”

Using the word paradox suggests you’re comfortable with contradiction. And comfort with contradiction is a hallmark of philosophical and psychological maturity.

4. Perspective

If you frequently talk about “perspective,” you’re probably someone who doesn’t get trapped in a single point of view. You’re open-minded enough to shift lenses and consider multiple angles.

Example:

“From her perspective, the decision made sense—even if we don’t agree.”

This word hints at cognitive flexibility: the ability to step outside your own assumptions and consider others’. That’s a sign of mental agility—and emotional maturity.

5. Intentional

In a world that often runs on autopilot, intentional is a power word. It means you’re deliberate about your actions, thoughts, and choices.

Example:

“I want to be more intentional about how I spend my mornings.”

People who use this word are often reflective and self-aware. They don’t just react—they respond. They live with purpose, not just momentum.

6. Cognitive

Using the word cognitive shows you’re aware of how the mind works—not just what people think, but how they think.

Example:

“There’s some cognitive bias happening here that’s clouding our judgment.”

Whether you’re talking about learning, memory, perception, or reasoning, the word cognitive signals that you’re thinking about thinking—metacognition, which is a key trait of intelligence.

7. Vulnerable

Some people see vulnerability as weakness. But intelligent people know it’s actually a strength. Using the word vulnerable suggests you understand the courage it takes to be open and authentic.

Example:

“She was really vulnerable with me last night, and it brought us closer.”

In Brené Brown’s research, vulnerability is linked to creativity, connection, and leadership. Using this word indicates not just intelligence—but wisdom.

8. Ambiguity

Life isn’t always clear-cut. Intelligent people don’t force clarity where none exists—they make space for ambiguity.

Example:

“There’s some ambiguity in his response, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s being evasive.”

Comfort with ambiguity means you can hold multiple truths, tolerate uncertainty, and still move forward. That’s emotional resilience meets intellectual humility.

9. Resilience

This word isn’t just about bouncing back—it’s about growing through adversity. If you talk about resilience, you understand that strength often comes from struggle.

Example:

“She’s incredibly resilient. Everything she’s been through only made her wiser.”

Resilient people don’t just survive hardship—they extract meaning from it. Using this word reflects a mindset of grit and growth.

10. Discernment

This word doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves. Discernment is the ability to judge well—not harshly, but wisely. It’s about separating the signal from the noise.

Example:

“We need more discernment when it comes to the content we consume online.”

People with discernment can see through surface-level charm or panic, and identify what truly matters. It’s an underrated but profound indicator of intelligence.

So why do these words matter?

These words don’t make you smart just by knowing them. But if they’re part of your active vocabulary—if you think in terms of empathy, speak in terms of nuance, and live with intentionality—it reflects a level of thoughtfulness, flexibility, and depth that’s characteristic of intelligent people.

What these words have in common:

  • They reflect depth. They aren’t shallow, buzzwordy terms—they reflect deeper layers of meaning and experience.

  • They suggest reflection. Using words like intentional, discernment, or perspective hints that you think before you speak and act.

  • They indicate complexity. Words like paradox and ambiguity show that you’re okay with complexity and uncertainty, rather than rushing to black-and-white thinking.

  • They bridge emotion and reason. This list includes emotionally intelligent words (empathy, vulnerable, resilience) and cognitively intelligent ones (cognitive, discernment). The blend is powerful.

Want to develop a more intelligent vocabulary?

Here are some ideas:

  1. Read authors who think deeply – Philosophers, psychologists, and writers like Viktor Frankl, Brené Brown, or Alain de Botton use rich, reflective language.

  2. Journal regularly – Use words like these when writing about your day or processing your emotions. They’ll become part of your natural voice.

  3. Practice metacognition – Reflect not just on what you think or feel, but why. That’ll naturally lead you toward vocabulary that mirrors your inner complexity.

  4. Engage in conversations that challenge you – Surround yourself with people who explore life with curiosity and compassion. Language rubs off.

Final thoughts

You don’t need to throw around big words to be smart. In fact, the smartest people often use the simplest words—but with precision. Still, the words we choose reflect how we think, feel, and navigate the world.

So if nuance, resilience, empathy, and discernment are part of your daily vocabulary, that says something powerful about who you are: not just smart, but wise. Not just clever, but compassionate. And that’s a rare kind of intelligence worth celebrating.

Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.