intermediate

¹ American  

[in-ter-mee-dee-it] / ˌɪn tərˈmi di ɪt /

adjective

1. being, situated, or acting between two points, stages, things, persons, etc..

   the intermediate steps in a procedure.

2. of or relating to an intermediate school.

3. Automotive. mid-size.

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noun

• intermediates
  plural

1. a person who acts between others; intermediary; mediator.

2. something intermediate, as a form or class.

3. Chemistry. a derivative of the initial material formed before the desired product of a chemical process.

intermediate ² American  

[in-ter-mee-dee-eyt] / ˌɪn tərˈmi diˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

• intermediates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• intermediated,
  past participle,  past
• intermediating
  present participle

1. to act as an intermediary; intervene; mediate.

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intermediate British  

adjective

1. occurring or situated between two points, extremes, places, etc; in between

2. (of a class, course, etc) suitable for learners with some degree of skill or competence

3. physics (of a neutron) having an energy between 100 and 100 000 electronvolts

4. geology (of such igneous rocks as syenite) containing between 55 and 66 per cent silica

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noun

1. something intermediate

2. a substance formed during one of the stages of a chemical process before the desired product is obtained

verb

1. (intr) to act as an intermediary or mediator

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intermediacy
  noun
• intermediateness
  noun
• intermediation
  noun
• intermediator
  noun
• intermediatory
  adjective
• intermediately
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intermediates
  plural

Participles

• intermediating
  present
• intermediated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• intermediate
  simple
• intermediates
  simple
• have intermediated
  perfect
• has intermediated
  perfect
• am intermediating
  progressive
• are intermediating
  progressive
• is intermediating
  progressive
• have been intermediating
  perfect progressive
• has been intermediating
  perfect progressive

Past

• intermediated
  simple
• had intermediated
  perfect
• was intermediating
  progressive
• were intermediating
  progressive
• had been intermediating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will intermediate
  simple
• will have intermediated
  perfect
• will be intermediating
  progressive
• will have been intermediating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of intermediate¹

1615–25; < Medieval Latin intermediātus, equivalent to Latin intermedi ( us ) intermediary ( inter- inter- + medius middle, in the middle) + -ātus -ate ¹

Origin of intermediate²

1600–10; < Medieval Latin intermediātus, past participle of intermediāre. See inter-, mediate

Explanation

Use the adjective intermediate when you find yourself in that in-between stage, like after you complete an introductory class but before you are ready for the advanced stuff. The word intermediate comes from the Latin intermediatus, tracing back to intermedius, which combines inter-, meaning “between” and medius, meaning “middle.” So you can see that intermediate describes something or someone in the middle, between two distinct phases, like an intermediate swimmer who has mastered the basic strokes but isn't yet ready to join the racing team.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intermediate intermediates intermediated intermediating

Some of the increase in July was driven by a 4.3% jump in intermediate goods orders—those used to make other products like chemicals or semiconductors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

A lawyer herself, Harris notes that because the country already has 13 intermediate courts of appeal, a 13-member Supreme Court would allow each justice to review motions from a lower court one-to-one.

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026

Bitcoin has broken its intermediate downtrend, reclaimed important moving averages and pushed through resistance on stronger volume.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

It provides positive, intermediate and negative result categories to support doctors assessing the likelihood of amyloid pathology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

I caught my breath and asked an intermediate question, "Does your mother also know Dr. Gershom?"

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

New driver Isack Hadjar crashed in the afternoon in the quick final corner, having just switched from full wet tyres to intermediates.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026

The new material, however, bypasses these intermediates entirely, converting CO2 directly into CO on its surface.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2025

Two seconds of that offset can be accounted for by a slower pit stop, the other five by the extra lap on worn intermediates.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2025

This comprehensive approach allowed for a thorough investigation of the photoinduced change of the states, providing a deeper understanding of the underlying processes and intermediates involved.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024

How many intermediates are there between you and President Reagan?

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Analyst Thomas Strong says funding costs are the biggest surprise in Judo’s trading update and he sees them benefiting further from the Australian business lender’s previously announced introduction of intermediated savings deposits from next month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025

The United Nations recognizes roughly 180 currencies, but “the reality is most global payments are still intermediated through a Western currency-dominated financial system,” said Eswar Prasad, a professor of international trade policy at Cornell University.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2022

In that consideration, Bowman said, the most important thing is “the preservation of an intermediated banking model,” she said at an Independent Community Bankers of America meeting.

From Reuters ● Feb. 9, 2022

Speech has never been more free or less intermediated, says Nesrine Malik.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 3, 2019

Funds and assistance for the preparation of intermediated drafts and logistics support for all stages of preparation of this guide were provided by Biological Systems, Inc.,

From Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic A Guide to Their Identification by David Caldwell

Banks like JPMorgan have been reckoning with the growing popularity of stablecoins, which threaten the traditional role that they have played in intermediating payments between customers around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026

We were intermediating and we were hedging our risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026

Dealers typically support market liquidity by intermediating customer trades - for example, by taking customer sell orders into inventory when buyers are absent.

From Reuters ● Nov. 8, 2022

Uber embraced the mayor's decision, calling it "the first step toward guaranteeing that apps intermediating travel with technology have a place in the city."

From Reuters ● May 10, 2016

The subconscious self as intermediating between nature and the higher region— 2.

From Varieties of Religious Experience, a Study in Human Nature by William James

Related Words

• transitional