intimately

American  

[in-tuh-mit-lee] / ˈɪn tə mɪt li /

adverb

1. in a way that entails, assumes, or suggests a close, warm, trusting personal relationship.

   He was quick to rebuke others, but only those he knew intimately and loved dearly.

   Churchill spoke intimately and easily over the wireless to his own people during the war.

2. in a way that arises from long or frequent direct personal experience.

   Cycling acquaints you intimately with every bump, slice, crease, divot, ledge, ripple, and pothole in a street.

3. in a way that affords or encourages privacy, coziness, closeness of interaction, etc..

   The small tables are so that people can converse more intimately, even among a larger group.

   The beautifully renovated 150-seat theater offers an intimately scaled setting with state-of-the-art acoustics.

4. in a way that involves a close union or connection.

   Many of the ailments seen in the inpatient service are intimately linked to the malnutrition plaguing the region.

5. in a way that involves or suggests sex.

   Posts must not contain name-calling, profanity, or intimately explicit material.

   Chlamydia is an intimately transmitted infection.

6. in a deep and detailed way.

   Her letters and journals reveal a woman intimately involved in the day-to-day happenings of the school.

7. in the innermost depths of one’s mind or heart.

   It has given me an opportunity to share ideas, thoughts, and intimately held beliefs with others equally interested in deeper questions.

8. next to the skin, as underclothing, wigs, etc..

   Please read our exchange policy carefully; these are quality garments that are worn intimately and hence cannot be exchanged or returned.

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Etymology

Origin of intimately

intimate ¹ ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

But those who know Eaton intimately describe the avid traveler as fearless.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Consumers are intimately aware of gas prices and won’t change their buying habits for minor increases — but they will for large ones, according to Clemson University economist Matthew Lewis.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

As an attorney who represented Thomas Drake, one of the earliest intelligence community whistleblowers to have used the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act, I know this territory intimately.

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

I feel like I know different areas of L.A. pretty intimately.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

It was Noor laughing intimately with the tattooed boy in the narrow alley behind the McDonald’s.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

• informally
• personally