intermediate
1 Americanadjective
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being, situated, or acting between two points, stages, things, persons, etc..
the intermediate steps in a procedure.
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of or relating to an intermediate school.
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Automotive. mid-size.
noun
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a person who acts between others; intermediary; mediator.
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something intermediate, as a form or class.
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Chemistry. a derivative of the initial material formed before the desired product of a chemical process.
verb (used without object)
adjective
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occurring or situated between two points, extremes, places, etc; in between
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(of a class, course, etc) suitable for learners with some degree of skill or competence
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physics (of a neutron) having an energy between 100 and 100 000 electronvolts
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geology (of such igneous rocks as syenite) containing between 55 and 66 per cent silica
noun
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something intermediate
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a substance formed during one of the stages of a chemical process before the desired product is obtained
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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intermediacynoun
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intermediatenessnoun
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intermediationnoun
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intermediatornoun
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intermediatoryadjective
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intermediatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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intermediatesimple
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intermediatessimple
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have intermediatedperfect
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has intermediatedperfect
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are intermediatingprogressive
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am intermediatingprogressive
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is intermediatingprogressive
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have been intermediatingperfect progressive
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has been intermediatingperfect progressive
Past
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intermediatedsimple
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had intermediatedperfect
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was intermediatingprogressive
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were intermediatingprogressive
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had been intermediatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing intermediate
Power Prefix: inter-
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Four Power Prefixes: anti-, con-, inter-, and uni-.
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Unit 2: Evolution
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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 degradation process remains relatively slow, and intermediate compounds can form as the chemicals break apart.
From Science Daily • Jun. 16, 2026
A jump in wheat shipments, much of which was destined for China, lifted exports of farm, fishing and intermediate food products 8.9% month-over-month.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Of the 55,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, around 17,500 are deemed low or intermediate risk.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
But over the short and even intermediate terms, lasting not just several years but decades, gold’s correlation to inflation is unstable.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
It is comparatively inexpensive: the cost of a single naval vessel of intermediate size— a modern destroyer, say—would pay for a decade-long program in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
