intimating
- 1Present participle of intimate.
Without naming names, the report was intimating that senior staff had known about the problem.
Her quiet tone, intimating disapproval, made the rest of us uneasy.
Note
The -ing form belongs only to the verb, never to the adjective that shares its spelling, so intimating always means hinting, never being close or private. It works as a participle (was intimating that costs would rise) and as a gerund (intimating is safer than accusing), and it can stand with or without an object. In Indian English it may also mean plainly notifying, with no hint of discretion.
intimating is a form of intimate
intimate, verb: To suggest or make something known in a discreet, indirect way. Full entry
- Spelling
- intimate → intimating: drop the e, add -ing
Use it in a sentence
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