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Synonyms

intended

American  
[in-ten-did] / ɪnˈtɛn dɪd /

adjective

  1. purposed; designed; intentional.

    an intended snub.

  2. prospective.

    one's intended wife.

noun

  1. Informal. the person one plans to marry; one's fiancé or fiancée.

intended British  
/ ɪnˈtɛndɪd /

adjective

  1. planned or future

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. informal a person whom one is to marry; fiancé or fiancée

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • intendedly adverb
  • intendedness noun
  • quasi-intended adjective
  • unintended adjective
  • unintendedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of intended

First recorded in 1570–80; intend + -ed 2

Explanation

Something intended is done on purpose. The intended outcome of a meeting is the result that everyone is planning and hoping for. A robber's intended victim is the person whose purse he means to snatch, and the intended destination of a hot air balloon is the spot where its pilot expects to land. An old-fashioned way to use this word is as a noun, meaning "fiancee" or "person I plan to marry." Intended comes from the verb intend, or "plan," from the Latin intendere, "turn one's attention" or "have as a plan."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

Another letter was also submitted, however, and it wasn’t intended to assist Sanberg.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

"It is not a project intended to import waste from overseas," he said.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

One owner questioned whether the rule would be enforced at the border, and said they intended to attempt to travel through the Eurotunnel on Thursday.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

The review was originally intended to be a joint exercise between the Treasury and the NI Department of Finance.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

He still had two juice packs, intended for his parents.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

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.