I. ˈintəˌmāt, usu -ād.+V transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Late Latin intimatus, past participle of intimare to make known, from Latin intimus innermost, superl. of (assumed) Old Latin interus inward, on the inside — more at interior
1. : to give notice of : announce , notify
2. : to impart or communicate with delicate or indirect wording or covert slight gesture without forthright blunt expression
said that he … might not be able to say all that he thought, thus intimating to his hearers that they might infer that he meant more — O.W.Holmes †1935
Synonyms: see suggest
II. -_mə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V adjective
Etymology: Late Latin intimatus, past participle of intimare to make known; English intimate influenced in meaning by Latin intimus innermost
1.
a. : of or relating to an inner character or essential nature : innermost : characteristic of the genuine core of something
it is in the purposes he entertains … that an individual most completely … realizes his intimate selfhood — John Dewey
b. : belonging to or characterizing the inmost true self : indicative of one's deepest nature
his intimate reflections
2. : marked by a very close physical, mental, or social association, connection, or contact: as
a. : showing complete intermixture, compounding, fusion : thoroughly or closely interconnected, interrelated, interwoven
the intimate relations … between economics, politics, and legal principles — V.L.Parrington
an intimate mixture of rock particles
an intimate affiliation of house and garden — American Guide Series: New York
b. : showing depth of detailed knowledge and understanding and broadness of information from or as if from long association, near contact, or thorough study and observation
this girl, so intimate with nature — W.H.Hudson †1922
an intimate knowledge of admiralty law — H.W.H.Knott
c. : marked by or as if by knowledge of especially personal details which only an eyewitness or very close confidant might have
of St. Francis and St. Bernard their intimate biographers assure us that … they … never allowed themselves actual laughter — G.G.Coulton
d. : marked by or as if by a warmly personal attitude especially developing through long or close association, by friendliness, unreserved communication, mutual appreciation and interest
pretend that they are in smart society and on intimate terms with people they slander — Oscar Wilde
: manifesting warm personal interest
his voice low, intimate , full of meaning — Aurelia Levi
: arousing a warm personal response
a lyrical and intimate painting
e. : showing or fostering close personal interests and relations rather than those colder and more distant, formal, or routine : suggesting or furthering easy unreserved personal expression, feeling, or relationships through smallness, exclusiveness, limitation, or privacy
an intimate sense of being a member of some mystic brotherhood — W.S.Maugham
the intimate politics of the eighteenth century were an involved web of human passions — J.H.Plumb
two plush rooms, one formal, the other cozy and intimate — T.H.Fielding
an intimate theater that served coffee between its films
an intimate cocktail lounge
also : designed or composed chiefly for presentation to a small group
intimate opera
intimate music
f. : marked by or appropriate to very close personal relationships : marked by or befitting a relationship of love, warm or ardent liking, deep friendship, or mutual cherishing
always intimate relations between a mother and her young child — Edward Westermarck
their hand grasp was very intimate and mutually comprehending — Arnold Bennett
g. : of, relating to, or befitting deeply personal (as emotional, familial, or sexual) matters or matters usually kept private or discreet
to his intensely aristocratic nature this discussion of his intimate family affairs … was most abhorrent — A. Conan Doyle
clean-minded youth horrifies its elders by facing the intimate facts of life — G.A.Bartlett
h. : engaged in or marked by sexual relations : sexual , marital
ladies were supposed to be without sexual desire … in their intimate relations with their husbands they consented graciously — W.E.Woodward
i. : worn next to the skin
intimate underwear
: worn in the home
an intimate negligee
j. : designed or prepared (as by waterproofing) for immediate contact with something to be wrapped
the efficiency of intimate wraps and carton overwraps in preventing corrosion — Corrosion & Material Protection
aluminum foil laminated to paper finds use as an intimate wrapper for a variety of products — N.A.Cooke
Synonyms: see familiar
III. noun
( -s )
: one who associates or has associated intimately (as with a person or place)
writes as one who … has been an intimate of the Parisian scene — R.J.Goldwater
: an intimate friend or confidant
counted a banker among his intimates
Synonyms: see friend