noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
pseudo-intellectual
Derogatory term for someone who pretends to be intellectual or knowledgeable but lacks real substance. Often used in casual or critical contexts.
彼は似非インテリで、難しい言葉を使うだけで中身がない。
He's a pseudo-intellectual who just uses big words without any real substance.
あの似非インテリの評論家はいつも的外れなことばかり言っている。
That pseudo-intellectual critic always says things that miss the point.
Compound of 似非 (ese, 'pseudo-') and インテリ (interi, from English 'intellectual' or Russian 'intelligentsiya'). The exact origin of 似非 is uncertain, but it has been used since the Edo period to mean 'false' or 'pretended'.