noun
intelligence
Information collected and analyzed for strategic purposes.
The team uses intelligence about rival companies to guide its strategy.
Etymology
The Latin ancestor concerns understanding. The information sense developed from knowledge communicated to someone, then specialized to information gathered for strategic decisions.
More examples
- New intelligence suggests that enemy troops are moving north.
- They gather market intelligence before launching a new product.
- She works in intelligence, analyzing reports from overseas agents.
Similar words
- information
- Broader term for facts, without implying analysis or strategic use.
- intel
- Informal shortening used for the same strategically gathered information.