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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am intermediatingprogressive
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are 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.
See Examples For:
Because it builds on technologies already being studied through the SpaceLiner program, the researchers believe it could serve as an intermediate step before Europe eventually develops a fully reusable launcher.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
The Mittelstand—a broad tier of midsize manufacturers, mainly specialized in capital and intermediate goods and reliant on exports—once thrived by making machines for factories everywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
But what has French legal minds racing is the possibility of an intermediate sentence.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Invesco’s Waldner says defensive retail buyers are favoring short to intermediate maturity munis over long-term bonds.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
To make matters worse, one night after a bombing mission, their aircraft got stuck at their intermediate airfield without food and low on fuel.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
In simpler terms, the catalyst carefully manages highly reactive radical intermediates so they drive the desired transformation without causing unwanted side reactions.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 27, 2026
These radicals are highly useful intermediates in natural product synthesis and pharmaceutical research, but most available techniques are designed for aryl ketones rather than simpler alkyl ketones.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2025
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
We can be almost certain, then, given these assumptions, that two people chosen at random will be linked, as were the strangers on the business trip, by a chain of at most two intermediates.
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 Caldwell, David
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
Without such intermediating portions of concretely real experience the pragmatist sees no materials out of which the adaptive relation called truth can be built up.
From Meaning of Truth by James, William
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.
