intimate

Adjective

intimate (comparative more intimate, superlative most intimate)

1. Closely acquainted; familiar.
   • an intimate friend
   • He and his sister deeply valued their intimate relationship as they didn't have much else to live for.

   Synonyms:

   thick

2. Personal; private.
   • an intimate setting
3. (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...
4. (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
5. 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
6. Very finely mixed.
   • Black powder consists of an intimate mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur.

Noun

intimate (plural intimates)

1. A very close friend.
   • Only a couple of intimates had ever read his writing.

   Synonyms:

   bosom buddy, bosom friend, cater-cousin

2. (in the plural intimates) Women's underwear, sleepwear, or lingerie, especially offered for sale in a store.
   • You'll find bras and panties in the intimates section upstairs.

   Synonyms:

   intimate apparel

Verb

IPA/ˈɪn.tɪ.meɪt/

intimate (third-person singular simple present intimates, present participle intimating, simple past and past participle intimated)

1. (ambitransitive) To suggest or disclose (something) discreetly.
   • He intimated that we should leave before the argument escalated.
   • And ſince this Family, called Ciu, which now holdeth the Souereigntie, hath reigned, it is called Min [translating 明 (Míng)], which intimateth Splendour, and by vſuall addition of one ſyllable Ta-min [translating 大明 (Dàmíng)], that is, the Kingdome of Great Splendour, Brightneſſe or Glory.1625, [Samuel] Purchas, “A Diſcourſe of the Kingdome of China”, in Purchas His Pilgrimes. […], 3rd part, London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], →OCLC, 2nd book, § V, page 380

   Synonyms:

   hint

2. (India, transitive) To notify.
   • I will intimate you when the details are available.