What does intimating mean?
Intimating is the present participle and third-person singular form of the verb “intimate.” It means to make something known indirectly, usually by hinting at a wish, feeling, warning, or intended course of action. The word is especially common in literary and formal contexts, where it can suggest that a person is communicating carefully or discreetly rather than speaking openly. For example, someone might say that a decision has been made without explicitly announcing it. Because intimating often accompanies a suggestive tone, glance, or restrained expression, it can imply caution, secrecy, or tact. Although the adjective “intimate” is much more familiar in modern usage, the verb form remains well established. The distinction is grammatical and semantic: as an adjective, “intimate” describes a close relationship, secret, or personal matter; as a verb, “intimate” conveys an indirect communication.
verbTo make something known indirectly, especially by hinting at a wish, feeling, or warning.
- Communicating something indirectly, especially a wish, feeling, or warning, by hinting at it.
"He intimated that a decision had already been made."
"The director intimated that further changes might be made."
"Her lowered voice and guarded expression intimated that she knew more than she was saying."
Intimating is all about saying something without quite saying it: a discreet hint shaped by a word that originally meant “innermost.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does intimating come from?
The word belongs to a family derived from Latin intimus, meaning “innermost” or “most private,” which was related to intus, meaning “within.” Through Old French and English, this root developed into “intimate,” “intimacy,” “intimately,” and “intimation.” The verbal sense of making something known indirectly emerged within English usage and is now especially associated with literary and formal prose.
How intimating is actually used
Chiefly literary or formal. It often appears in constructions such as “intimate that” or “intimate something to someone,” and generally conveys an indirect or discreet communication.
Easily confused with intimating
Intimate is an adjective meaning close or private, while intimating is the verb form meaning to hint or make something indirectly known.