intact
Americanadjective
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not altered, broken, or impaired; remaining uninjured, sound, or whole; untouched; unblemished.
The vase remained intact despite rough handling.
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not changed or diminished; not influenced or swayed.
Despite misfortune, his faith is still intact.
-
complete or whole, especially not castrated or emasculated.
-
having the hymen unbroken; virginal.
adjective
Usage
What are other ways to say intact? Something that is intact is not altered, broken, or impaired. How does intact compare to synonyms entire, complete, and perfect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intact
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin intāctus untouched, equivalent to in- in- 3 + tāctus, past participle of tangere to touch
Explanation
If something is intact it's still in one piece. If you'd like your sand castle to remain intact, I suggest you build it away from the water. The Latin word intactus means “untouched,” but today something is intact if it's whole, if it hasn't fallen apart. After a long day at work, you might feel lucky to be intact. Your letter to the post office states that you would prefer your packages to arrive intact from now on.
Vocabulary lists containing intact
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Tangerine
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ACT Vocabulary List
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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.
The “core demand story” for silver remains intact, said Jan Skoyles, head of research at GoldCore.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
Also: keeping that $50 billion stake intact for whenever OpenAI goes public and gifts investors with flush new cash from open trading.
From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026
Not even the cables inside the small store remained intact.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
None of these figures emerge from the authors’ account with their dignity entirely intact.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
If one man could change history so completely, then the least I could do was try to keep that history intact.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
