Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

intimate

/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.06 in modern English

Syllables: in-ti-mate
IPA: /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/

10

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Closely acquainted; familiar.

adj

Personal; private.

adj

Pertaining to sex organs or underwear.

adj

Pertaining to sexual acts or a sexual relationship.

adj

Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know.

adj

Very finely mixed.

noun

A very close friend.

noun

Women's underwear, sleepwear, or lingerie, especially offered for sale in a store.

Example Sentences

"an intimate friend"
"He and his sister deeply valued their intimate relationship as they didn't have much else to live for."
"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."
"an intimate setting"
"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."
"She enjoyed some intimate time alone with her husband."

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.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: intimātus

Usage

Inflected Forms

more intimate (comparative) most intimate (superlative) intimates (plural) intimates (present, singular) intimating (participle, present) intimated (participle, past) intimated (past)

Derived Forms

extimate intimately intimateness intimater intimatopia nonintimate overintimate ultraintimate unintimate unintimated

Phrases

intimate apparel intimate area intimate partner violence intimate parts intimate relations

Frequently Paired Words

intimacy intimation

Synonyms

thick bosom buddy bosom friend cater-cousin intimate apparel hint familiar knowledgeable versed

Questions

How do you pronounce intimate?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/.
What does intimate mean?: Closely acquainted; familiar.
Where does intimate come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce intimate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “intimate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “intimate”.
Repeat and practice — Say “intimate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.