in·ter·me·di·ate
ˌin-tər-ˈmē-dē-ət 
1
: being or occurring at the middle place, stage, or degree or between extremes
2
: of or relating to an intermediate school
an intermediate curriculum
intermediately
adverb
intermediateness
noun
1
: one that is intermediate
2
3
a
: a chemical compound synthesized from simpler compounds and usually intended to be used in later syntheses of more complex products
b
: a usually short-lived chemical species formed in a reaction as an intermediate step between the starting material and the final product
4
: an automobile larger than a compact but smaller than a full-sized automobile
in·ter·me·di·ate
ˌin-tər-ˈmē-dē-ˌāt
intermediated; intermediating; intermediates
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun
- broker
- buffer
- conciliator
- go-between
- honest broker
- interceder
- intercessor
- intermediary
- interposer
- mediator
- middleman
- peacemaker
Verb
Examples of intermediate in a Sentence
Adjective
an intermediate stage of growth
I'm taking intermediate French this year.
Noun
she often used her father as an intermediate in arguments with her mother
Verb
if the secretary-general chooses to intermediate in this dispute, he'll need all of his diplomatic skills just to get both sides in the same room
Recent Examples on the Web
Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 24 Nov. 2023
This assessment emboldened Khrushchev to ship intermediate range missiles to Cuba, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.
—WSJ, 23 Nov. 2023
Pirelli is also working to remove the heating blankets from wet and intermediate tires.
—Roberto Baldwin, Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2023
Judge David Friedman of the state's intermediate appeals court issued what's known as a stay -- suspending the gag order and allowing the former president to speak freely about court staff while a longer appeals process plays out.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Nov. 2023
The project will increase the mountain’s skiable terrain by some 20 percent, adding more than a dozen new chutes, glades, and trails for intermediate and expert skiers.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023
Jordan Love has had better success on intermediate routes versus deep targets, which is why Doubs has surpassed Christian Watson as the top option in the Packers’ passing game.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Nov. 2023
The copying is merely an intermediate step, extracting unprotectable elements about the entire corpus of works, in order to create new outputs.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 4 Nov. 2023
Skiing and Snowboarding Info Whistler Blackcomb has a good mix of beginner (20%), intermediate (50%), and advanced (30%) terrain among its 8,171 acres.
—Julia Eskins, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2023
Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
But don't get intimidated by trails like Climax; despite being an absolute behemoth of a mountain with more than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain, Mammoth comes with plenty of trails for beginners and intermediates and somehow still feels like a downhome place where everybody knows your name.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2023
Eighteen percent of trails are for beginners, 29 percent are for intermediates, and 53 percent are for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2023
There’s World Cup skiing, and plenty of pistes for intermediates and beginners.
—Catherine Sabino, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
As beginners and greener intermediates enjoy their own gorgeous mountain, adrenaline-seekers freely ski through Bald Mountain's gullies and catwalks.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2023
Strikingly, many of the chemical intermediates on the way to RNA crystallize out of reaction mixtures, self-purifying and potentially accumulating on the early Earth as organic minerals—reservoirs of material waiting to come to life when conditions change.
—Jack Szostak, Scientific American, 1 June 2018
Where to Ski Beginners and intermediates would be wise to start at Albion Base and begin their day on the Sunnyside lift.
—Sarah Jenks-Daly, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2023
The colors between three and four are so much different because digital intermediates have improved.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2023
Ridah Syed, Journal Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2023
With +play, Verizon is taking aim at other companies seeking to intermediate the relationship between streaming services and consumers, helping those services grow and expand, while taking a small cut in the process.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2022
Of the Colts’ four completions of 20 yards or more in the last two games, three have been short to intermediate throws that the receiver turned into a bigger play.
—The Indianapolis Star, 24 Nov. 2022
The Fed would intermediate wholesale and retail payments, including as the direct counterparty to U.S. consumers.
—Kevin Warsh, WSJ, 20 Nov. 2022
Furano Ski Resort, accessed by a gondola and a fast cable car, offers beginner and intermediate cruising pistes.
—Janet O’Grady, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Increasingly, corporate managements approach us about direct partnerships with private equity fund investors, or with the growing cadre of deal-by-deal managers who intermediate for those investors.
—Antoine Drean, Forbes, 19 July 2022
By investing in Garoppolo, a team would be acquiring a quarterback who processes quickly, is decisive in getting rid of the football and can deliver it accurately to intermediate areas.
—Nicholas McGee, Forbes, 12 July 2022
Shows some production after the catch but more of short to intermediate route runner with possession ability.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 4 July 2022
See More
Adjective
With the help of 100 expert linguists, lessons are made available for every skill level, from beginner to intermediate to advanced.
—Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 24 Nov. 2023
This assessment emboldened Khrushchev to ship intermediate range missiles to Cuba, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war.
—WSJ, 23 Nov. 2023
Pirelli is also working to remove the heating blankets from wet and intermediate tires.
—Roberto Baldwin, Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2023
Judge David Friedman of the state's intermediate appeals court issued what's known as a stay -- suspending the gag order and allowing the former president to speak freely about court staff while a longer appeals process plays out.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Nov. 2023
The project will increase the mountain’s skiable terrain by some 20 percent, adding more than a dozen new chutes, glades, and trails for intermediate and expert skiers.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023
Jordan Love has had better success on intermediate routes versus deep targets, which is why Doubs has surpassed Christian Watson as the top option in the Packers’ passing game.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Nov. 2023
The copying is merely an intermediate step, extracting unprotectable elements about the entire corpus of works, in order to create new outputs.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 4 Nov. 2023
Skiing and Snowboarding Info Whistler Blackcomb has a good mix of beginner (20%), intermediate (50%), and advanced (30%) terrain among its 8,171 acres.
—Julia Eskins, Travel + Leisure, 3 Nov. 2023
Noun
For less experienced skiers, Telluride Ski Resort, on the other side of the mountain, is a 50-mile drive away and 59 percent of its trails are rated for beginners and intermediates.
—Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023
But don't get intimidated by trails like Climax; despite being an absolute behemoth of a mountain with more than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain, Mammoth comes with plenty of trails for beginners and intermediates and somehow still feels like a downhome place where everybody knows your name.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2023
Eighteen percent of trails are for beginners, 29 percent are for intermediates, and 53 percent are for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders.
—Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2023
There’s World Cup skiing, and plenty of pistes for intermediates and beginners.
—Catherine Sabino, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
As beginners and greener intermediates enjoy their own gorgeous mountain, adrenaline-seekers freely ski through Bald Mountain's gullies and catwalks.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2023
Strikingly, many of the chemical intermediates on the way to RNA crystallize out of reaction mixtures, self-purifying and potentially accumulating on the early Earth as organic minerals—reservoirs of material waiting to come to life when conditions change.
—Jack Szostak, Scientific American, 1 June 2018
Where to Ski Beginners and intermediates would be wise to start at Albion Base and begin their day on the Sunnyside lift.
—Sarah Jenks-Daly, Travel + Leisure, 29 Mar. 2023
The colors between three and four are so much different because digital intermediates have improved.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2023
Verb
On the statewide ballot is the nonpartisan seat for Wisconsin Supreme Court and two nonpartisan seats for Wisconsin intermediate appellate courts.
—Ridah Syed, Journal Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2023
With +play, Verizon is taking aim at other companies seeking to intermediate the relationship between streaming services and consumers, helping those services grow and expand, while taking a small cut in the process.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2022
Of the Colts’ four completions of 20 yards or more in the last two games, three have been short to intermediate throws that the receiver turned into a bigger play.
—The Indianapolis Star, 24 Nov. 2022
The Fed would intermediate wholesale and retail payments, including as the direct counterparty to U.S. consumers.
—Kevin Warsh, WSJ, 20 Nov. 2022
Furano Ski Resort, accessed by a gondola and a fast cable car, offers beginner and intermediate cruising pistes.
—Janet O’Grady, WSJ, 11 Nov. 2022
Increasingly, corporate managements approach us about direct partnerships with private equity fund investors, or with the growing cadre of deal-by-deal managers who intermediate for those investors.
—Antoine Drean, Forbes, 19 July 2022
By investing in Garoppolo, a team would be acquiring a quarterback who processes quickly, is decisive in getting rid of the football and can deliver it accurately to intermediate areas.
—Nicholas McGee, Forbes, 12 July 2022
Shows some production after the catch but more of short to intermediate route runner with possession ability.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 4 July 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intermediate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English, from Medieval Latin intermediatus, from Latin intermedius, from inter- + medius mid, middle — more at mid
Verb
Medieval Latin intermediatus, past participle of intermediare, from Latin inter- + Late Latin mediare to mediate
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of intermediate was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing intermediate
Dictionary Entries Near intermediate
Cite this Entry
“Intermediate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermediate. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
intermediate
adjective
in·ter·me·di·ate
ˌint-ər-ˈmēd-ē-ət
: being or occurring in the middle or between extremes
intermediate
noun
intermediately
adverb
Etymology
Adjective
Middle Latin intermediatus "intermediate," derived from Latin inter- "among, in the midst" and medius "middle" — related to median entry 1
Medical Definition
intermediate
1 of 2 adjective
in·ter·me·di·ate
ˌint-ər-ˈmēd-ē-ət
: being or occurring at the middle place, stage, or degree or between extremes
the remaining subjects progressed to some intermediate stage of disease—R. R. Redfield et al.
R. R. Redfield et al.intermediate
2 of 2 noun
: one that is intermediate
especially
: a chemical compound synthesized from simpler compounds and usually intended to be used in later syntheses of more complex products
pharmaceutical intermediates
Legal Definition
intermediate
adjective
in·ter·me·di·ate
ˌin-tər-ˈmē-dē-ət
1
: being or occurring at the middle place, stage, or degree or between extremes
an intermediate order
2
: of, relating to, or being a level of judicial scrutiny to ensure equal protection of the laws that is applied to a statute involving classification of persons and that is more intensive than the rational basis test and not as severe as strict scrutiny
intermediate review
intermediate scrutiny
intermediately
adverb
More from Merriam-Webster on intermediate
Nglish: Translation of intermediate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of intermediate for Arabic Speakers
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