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.

---

noun

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)

intermediated, intermediating

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

---

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

---

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

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

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

Tuesday morning, the maker of refrigerants and uranium hexafluoride, an intermediate product for nuclear fuel, reported External link first-quarter earnings per share of 63 cents from sales of $991 million.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

“The intermediate is where we’re seeing the ups and downs, but we can pick and choose what comes out of it,” she said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

Their pace remained unchanged across all doses, but their paths became less winding at the lower and intermediate levels of caffeine.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

As Chloe Lamford’s brilliant two-level set rotates, we—and the characters—travel from the banquet room to the classroom, through intermediate spaces like a bathroom, a kitchen and a supply closet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

The surest means to purify the messenger intermediate was to halt protein synthesis abruptly—using a biochemical equivalent of a cold shower—and purify the shivering molecules associated with the ribosomes, thereby trapping the elusive Pimpernel.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• transitional