What does "intimacy" mean?
Feeling or atmosphere of closeness and openness towards someone else, often but not necessarily involving sexuality.
Intimacy
/ˈɪn.tɪ.mə.si/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Feeling or atmosphere of closeness and openness towards someone else, often but not necessarily involving sexuality.
- Grammar: intimacy is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: closeness, familiarity, accord, acquaintance.
- Useful contrasts: distant posture, emotional distance, the distance.
- Usage evidence: Their intimacy grew with the years.
How to use "intimacy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "intimacy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "intimacy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "intimacy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "intimacy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "intimacy" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "closeness" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "intimacy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Feeling or atmosphere of closeness and openness towards someone else, often but not necessarily involving sexuality. countable, uncountable
"To adulterous lust the most sacred duties are sacrificed, because, before marriage, men, by a promiscuous intimacy with women, learned to consider love as a selfish gratification—learned to separate it not only from esteem, but from the affection merely built on habit, which mixes a little humanity with it."
- 2 close or warm friendship wordnet
- 3 Intimate relationship. countable
"1787, Robert Burns, Letter to Dr. Moore, 23 April, 1787, in J. Logie Robertson (ed.), The Letters of Robert Burns, Selected and Arranged, with an Introduction, London: Walter Scott, 1887, p. 57, I have formed many intimacies and friendships here, but I am afraid they are all of too tender a construction to bear carriage a hundred and fifty miles."
- 4 a feeling of being intimate and belonging together wordnet
- 5 Intimate detail, (item of) intimate information. countable, especially, plural
"He recognized the tone as the one used by friendly sisters to discuss the infirmities of their husbands. It was Shama’s plea to a sister to exchange intimacies, to show support."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Their intimacy grew with the years."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "intimacy"?
Common synonyms include: closeness, familiarity, accord, acquaintance, act of love, addition.
How do you use "intimacy" in a sentence?
Their intimacy grew with the years.
How do you pronounce "intimacy"?
Pronounced /ˈɪn.tɪ.mə.si/.
Etymology
From intimate + -cy.