bel esprit vs intellectual

bel esprit and intellectual both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
bel esprit	Yes	No	No	No
intellectual	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, intellectual is a hypernym of bel esprit; that is, intellectual is a word with a broader meaning than bel esprit:

Other hypernyms of bel esprit include intellect.

bel esprit (noun)	intellectual (noun)
a witty or clever person with a fine mind	a person who uses the mind creatively

bel esprit (adjective)	intellectual (adjective)
	appealing to or using the intellect
	involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct
	of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind