intimacy
Americannoun
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the state of being intimate.
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a close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group.
- Synonyms:
- affection, warmth, familiarity, closeness
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a close association with or detailed knowledge or deep understanding of a place, subject, period of history, etc..
an intimacy with Japan.
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an act or expression serving as a token of familiarity, affection, or the like.
to allow the intimacy of using first names.
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an amorously familiar act; liberty.
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sexual intercourse.
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the quality of being comfortable, warm, or familiar.
the intimacy of the room.
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privacy, especially as suitable to the telling of a secret.
in the intimacy of his studio.
noun
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close or warm friendship or understanding; personal relationship
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euphemistic (often plural) sexual relations
Etymology
Origin of intimacy
First recorded in 1635–45; intim(ate) 1 + -acy
Explanation
Intimacy is closeness with another person, like the intimacy that develops between friends as you tell one another your life stories and all your secrets and dreams for the future. The noun intimacy comes from the Latin word intimare, which means “impress,” or “make familiar,” which comes from the Latin intimus, meaning “inmost.” Intimacy is a close, family-like connection. There is another kind of intimacy — physical intimacy, which comes from having a sexual relationship, which, one hopes, fosters the other kind of intimacy as well.
Vocabulary lists containing intimacy
Power Suffix: -acy
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
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"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There’s a level of intimacy you get, and there’s a time frame built in when you’re at dinner, or at lunch, versus at a bar or at a coffee shop,” said Murthy, a 25-year-old paralegal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Hearing “The Heather on the Hill,” “Almost Like Being in Love” and “From This Day On” in the majestic intimacy of Pasadena Playhouse is a memory that will last at least a lifetime.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
"The bubble of the show assumes that there will be, kind of intimacy," she added, "and that is a dangerous situation."
From BBC • May 18, 2026
“Rather than wanting intimacy in a romantic capacity, just really wanting to be grounded and connected with someone… and finding something much more visceral and much richer.”
From Salon • May 11, 2026
That’s not because Peter objects to people or finds the notion of intimacy repulsive.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
