intimate

Formsintimates, intimating, intimated

Pluralintimates

1. 1
   privateadjective

   Personal and private, relating to one's innermost feelings or affairs.

   The letters revealed the intimate workings of a troubled marriage.

   She found the question far too intimate to answer in public.

   Similarpersonal, private, confidential, innermost, secret

   Oppositepublic, impersonal

2. 2
   sexualadjective

   Involved in or relating to a sexual relationship.

   She was reluctant to discuss her intimate life with reporters.

   The two coworkers became intimate during a long assignment abroad.

   UsageBe intimate with someone most often suggests sex, so for friendship say close friends or an intimate friend.

   Similarsexual, romantic, involved

   Oppositeplatonic

3. 3
   very familiaradjective

   Closely acquainted with someone and on familiar, comfortable terms.

   The two writers were intimate companions for most of their lives.

   He grew intimate with the family after years of shared holidays.

   UsageMost often before a noun: an intimate friend. After a verb, as in be intimate with, it can suggest sex.

   Similarclose, familiar, dear, devoted, inseparable

   Oppositedistant, remote

4. 4
   detailedadjective

   Relating to details so specific that only deep familiarity could reveal them.

   The biography drew on an intimate acquaintance with the artist's daily habits.

   Only a longtime resident has such an intimate grasp of the village's history.

   UsageOften with words for knowing: intimate knowledge of, an intimate grasp of something.

   Similardetailed, deep, thorough, close, profound

   Oppositesuperficial, cursory, shallow, sketchy

   Note

   Scientific writing stretches it further. Researchers speak of the intimate structure of viral particles, meaning the fine internal detail that only close study reveals. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Scientific writing uses “intimate structure” when discussing viral particles. en.wiktionary.org
5. 5
   hintverbtransitive or intransitive

   To suggest or make something known in a discreet, indirect way.

   He intimated that the deal might fall through within the week.

   Diplomats intimate their positions carefully to avoid open conflict.

   UsageUsually followed by a that clause: she intimated that she might resign.

   Similarhint, suggest, imply, indicate, insinuate

   Note

   In Henry James's An International Episode (1878), a young man "intimated that he felt a disposition to interrupt." Dale Carnegie faults a diplomat for intimating "that the Kaiser was a half-wit" instead of saying something gentler. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Henry James wrote An International Episode. en.wikisource.org
   • An International Episode first appeared in 1878; its serialization continued into January 1879. en.wikisource.org
   • The narrator describes a young man using the quoted words; these are not spoken dialogue. gutenberg.org
   • Carnegie criticizes a diplomat for intimating that the Kaiser was a half-wit and recommends a gentler approach. people.duke.edu
6. 6
   inform officiallyverbIndiatransitive

   To notify someone of something; to make it formally known to them.

   The registrar intimated the applicants of their acceptance.

   Officials intimate the public whenever new safety rules take effect.

   UsageTakes the person as object: intimate the applicants of the result. Elsewhere, people usually say inform or notify.

   Similarnotify, inform, advise, apprise, tell

7. 7
   closely joinedadjective

   Combined so thoroughly that the separate components are evenly and finely blended.

   An intimate mixture of the powders ensures the reaction proceeds evenly.

   The two metal powders must form an intimate mixture before heating.

   Similarhomogeneous, uniform, thorough

   Oppositeheterogeneous

   Note

   Chemistry and powder-making have their own use for the word. In an intimate mixture the components are dispersed so finely that they are in close contact throughout, and that close contact is what lets them react evenly. Black powder is the classic case: potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur are blended until no ingredient stands apart. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Black powder is a finely blended mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur. en.wikipedia.org
   • The ingredients remain distinct substances in a thoroughly blended mechanical mixture. nij.ojp.gov
8. 8
   adjective

   Said of a place or occasion: on a small scale, cozy and private, and warm and welcoming in feel.

   After years of stadium tours, the singer now prefers intimate venues.

   The restaurant's back room is quieter and more intimate than the main floor.

   Similarcozy, small, private, snug

   Oppositeimpersonal

   Note

   Places and events borrow the word's root sense of closeness, from Latin intimus, "inmost": a small room puts performer and audience near enough to feel like friends, as in an intimate gig or an intimate venue. Because the sexual meaning sits close by, an intimate dinner for two can read as romantic; choose small or cozy when that is not what you mean.

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