What does intermeshed mean?
Intermeshed means closely intertwined, interwoven, or merged with something else. The word suggests more than simple contact: the elements overlap, interlock, or form an integrated whole. It is often applied to physical features such as branches, teeth, fibres, or metal forms, but it can also describe abstract relationships, especially when ideas, responsibilities, or systems are difficult to separate. For example, intertwined branches create a tangled screen, while intermeshed policies may reinforce or conflict with one another. The term is less common than “intertwined” or “interwoven” and lends a slightly technical, literary, or visual quality to a sentence. It is useful when the emphasis falls on the overlapping structure of several elements rather than on a simple mixture.
adjectiveIntertwined or closely interwoven with something else. It may also describe multiple things that are combined so that their boundaries overlap.
- Intertwined or closely interwoven.
- Closely interlocked or merged, especially as multiple components or structures.
"The sculpture consisted of a series of intermeshed steel forms."
"Intermeshed branches formed a dense hedge around the garden."
"The two proposals are intermeshed, making it difficult to consider either one in isolation."
Intermeshed describes things that do more than merely touch: their structures weave through one another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of intermeshed
The word combines the prefix “inter-,” meaning “between” or “among,” with “mesh,” an English word for an interwoven network of threads or lines. “Mesh” comes through Middle English from Old English “mæsc,” with related forms in other Germanic languages. The combination developed from the idea of meshes or structures being joined together, and modern usage extends it from physical networks to closely interconnected systems.
Related word forms
How intermeshed is actually used
Relatively uncommon and somewhat literary or technical. It is especially apt for physical structures, textures, or ideas whose elements overlap or depend on one another.
Easily confused with intermeshed
Intermeshed implies physical intertwining or overlapping, whereas intermixed more often means that different substances, colours, or elements have been mixed together.