# intimate

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɪn.tɪ.mət/ · frequency rank #6,487

## Definitions
1. Closely acquainted; familiar.
2. Of or involved in a sexual relationship.
3. Personal; private.
4. Pertaining to details that require great familiarity to know
5. Very finely mixed.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **intricate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intimate-vs-intricate)
- **intimidate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intimate-vs-intimidate)
- **intimately** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intimate-vs-intimately)
- **inmate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/inmate-vs-intimate)
- **indicate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/indicate-vs-intimate)
- **initiate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/initiate-vs-intimate)
- **intimacy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intimacy-vs-intimate)
- **inanimate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/inanimate-vs-intimate)
- **instigate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/instigate-vs-intimate)

## Common misspellings (11)
`initmate`, `inntimate`, `intiamte`, `intimaet`, `intimatte`, `intimmate`, `intimtae`, `intmiate`, `inttimate`, `itnimate`, `nitimate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/intimate