intimately

American  

[in-tuh-mit-lee] / ˈɪn tə mɪt li /

adverb

1. in a way that entails, assumes, or suggests a close, warm, trusting personal relationship.

   He was quick to rebuke others, but only those he knew intimately and loved dearly.

   Churchill spoke intimately and easily over the wireless to his own people during the war.

2. in a way that arises from long or frequent direct personal experience.

   Cycling acquaints you intimately with every bump, slice, crease, divot, ledge, ripple, and pothole in a street.

3. in a way that affords or encourages privacy, coziness, closeness of interaction, etc..

   The small tables are so that people can converse more intimately, even among a larger group.

   The beautifully renovated 150-seat theater offers an intimately scaled setting with state-of-the-art acoustics.

4. in a way that involves a close union or connection.

   Many of the ailments seen in the inpatient service are intimately linked to the malnutrition plaguing the region.

5. in a way that involves or suggests sex.

   Posts must not contain name-calling, profanity, or intimately explicit material.

   Chlamydia is an intimately transmitted infection.

6. in a deep and detailed way.

   Her letters and journals reveal a woman intimately involved in the day-to-day happenings of the school.

7. in the innermost depths of one’s mind or heart.

   It has given me an opportunity to share ideas, thoughts, and intimately held beliefs with others equally interested in deeper questions.

8. next to the skin, as underclothing, wigs, etc..

   Please read our exchange policy carefully; these are quality garments that are worn intimately and hence cannot be exchanged or returned.

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Etymology

Origin of intimately

intimate ¹ ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

As a product of both French and British colonies, bilingualism is "intimately tied to the history of Canada" and a part of its continued unity, Larocque said.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

“I know intimately how gutting it is to be a borrower, just sitting on the phone with a loan servicer as you try to navigate your options,” she said.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

It’s a dynamic that Google is intimately familiar with.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

Its supple leather, fluid silhouette and three sizes allow it to slip effortlessly and intimately into the hand, over the shoulder or across the body.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

He was the boy who intimately knew what it had been like to lose two parents, because he’d lost them too.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

• informally
• personally