intimate en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin intimātus, the perfect passive participle of intimō (“to put or bring into, to impress, to make familiar”) (see -ate (adjective forming suffix)), from intimus (“inmost, innermost, most intimate”), superlative of intus (“within”), from in (“in”); see interior.
Meanings
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Closely acquainted; familiar.
WE are such intimate friends that more than almost anyone else you can appreciate the grief as well as the actual public and private loss that the death of my cousin Lucius is to me.
1920, Cicero, translated by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh, The Letters of Cicero: The Whole Extant Correspondence in Chronological Order, volume 1 (hardcover), London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., page 1:an intimate friend
He and his sister deeply valued their intimate relationship as they didn't have much else to live for.
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Personal; private.
an intimate setting
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(euphemistic) Pertaining to sex organs or underwear.
Intimate apparel departments have separate sections for bras and panties; within those sections, our intimate apparel firm would have its bras displayed separately from its panties.
2017 [2014], Elizabeth K. Briody, Ken C. Erickson, “Success despite the silos: System-wide innovation and collaboration”, in Maryann McCabe, editor, Collaborative Ethnography in Business Environments, Routledge, page 37:
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(euphemistic) Pertaining to sexual acts or a sexual relationship.
She enjoyed some intimate time alone with her husband.
The man, who had been arrested for being intimate with a donkey, admitted the conduct in question but claimed that the donkey had not been a donkey when he met her at a nightclub last Saturday night, but rather a prostitute.
2011 October 28, Kevin Underhill, “Shape-Shifting Donkey Prostitute Strikes Again”, in Lowering the Bar, archived from the original on 16 Dec 2022:
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Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know.
The candidate showed an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of politics.
Grélard et al.⁸⁷ determined the intimate structure of pseudoviral particles of hepatitis B subvirus using solid-state NMR, light scattering, and cryo-electron microscopy.
2015, Slawomir Pikula, Joanna Bandorowicz-Pikula, Patrick Groves, “NMR of lipids”, in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, volume 44, Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry, →ISSN, page 391:Harry and David spent most of their childhood outside, developing an intimate knowledge of the animals, waterways, and plant life of Mid Wales.
2026 May 14, Cyrus Dunham, “Nature's Way”, in Architectural Digest, volume 83, number 4, page 106:
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Very finely mixed.
Black powder consists of an intimate mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most intimate | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more intimate | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
intimate parts · extimate · ultraintimate · nonintimate · intimatopia · overintimate · intimate apparel · intimater · intimate area · intimateness · intimate partner violence · intimately · unintimate · intimate relations
Synonyms
Translations (94)
pt pessoal (personal, private) · eo intima (personal, private) · mi takapui (closely acquainted; familiar) · fi tuttu (closely acquainted; familiar) · pl intymny (personal, private) · fa صَمیمی (closely acquainted; familiar) · nb privat (personal, private) · nrf întînme (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · de innig (closely acquainted; familiar) · ru ли́чный (personal, private) · nl innig (closely acquainted; familiar) · mi kauawhiawhi (closely acquainted; familiar) · lv tuvs (closely acquainted; familiar) · bg интимен (closely acquainted; familiar) · ru бли́зкий (closely acquainted; familiar) · es íntimo (personal, private) · nb fortrolig (closely acquainted; familiar) · el οικείος (closely acquainted; familiar) · ko 친밀(親密)하다 (closely acquainted; familiar) · sv intim (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · bg интимен (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · hu intim (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · hu közeli (closely acquainted; familiar) · fr intime (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · et isiklik (personal, private) · nb intim (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · gl íntimo (personal, private) · pt íntimo (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · gl íntimo (closely acquainted; familiar) · bg личен (personal, private) · mhr лишыл (closely acquainted; familiar) · ja 親密な (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · de vertraut (closely acquainted; familiar) · gl íntimo (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · it intimo (closely acquainted; familiar) · ca íntim (personal, private) · yi אינטים (personal, private) · et intiimne (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · nb intim (closely acquainted; familiar) · th ส่วนตัว (personal, private) · lv intīms (personal, private) · pt íntimo (personal, private) · ga caidreamhach (closely acquainted; familiar) · it intimo (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · it personale (personal, private) · pl bliski (closely acquainted; familiar) · ro intim (closely acquainted; familiar) · cmn 親密 /亲密 (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · yi אינטימיש (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · ru инти́мный (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · sv intim (personal, private) · sv intim (closely acquainted; familiar) · ko 친(親)하다 (closely acquainted; familiar) · hu bizalmas (personal, private) · hu meghitt (closely acquainted; familiar) · th สนิท (closely acquainted; familiar) · de intim (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · th ใกล้ชิด (closely acquainted; familiar) · ca íntim (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · fi henkilökohtainen (personal, private) · eo intima (closely acquainted; familiar) · el ενδόμυχος (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · nb intim (personal, private) · fi intiimi (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · ro intim (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · nl intiem (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · ro intim (personal, private) · uk близьки́й (closely acquainted; familiar) · uk інти́мний (personal, private) · lv personisks (personal, private) · cmn 親近 /亲近 (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · pt íntimo (closely acquainted; familiar) · fr intime (closely acquainted; familiar) · uk інти́мний (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · lv intīms (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · ca íntim (closely acquainted; familiar) · bg съкровен (personal, private) · el προσωπικός (personal, private) · el στενός (closely acquainted; familiar) · th สนิทสนม (closely acquainted; familiar) · mi taupiri (closely acquainted; familiar) · pl osobisty (personal, private) · it stretto (closely acquainted; familiar) · et lähedane (closely acquainted; familiar) · es íntimo (closely acquainted; familiar) · ro personal (personal, private) · pl intymny (of or involved in a sexual relationship) · it privato (personal, private) · el ιδιωτικός (personal, private) · it proprio (personal, private) · uk інти́мний (closely acquainted; familiar) · cs důvěrný (closely acquainted; familiar) · lv intīms (closely acquainted; familiar) · nb personlig (personal, private)