intimation
noun
in·ti·ma·tion
ˌin-tə-ˈmā-shən 
plural intimations
: an indirect, usually subtle suggestion, indication, or hint
intimations that she may retire from teaching next year
It can be any time from the earliest intimation of fall, when wetland maples turn a searing red, to the third week of October, when gaudy leaves carpet the forest floor.—
Madeline Drexler
Madeline DrexlerThey bored me stiff but George had expertise and gave occasional intimations of power in reserve.—Tobias Wolff
Tobias Wolff
Examples of intimation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At least Barbie was jolted into action by a stabbing intimation of mortality.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
The problem is that all those scoops and curls and shadows, those flecks of luxury and intimations of depth, represent just the kind of decorative line items that get stricken from a conscientious budget.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2023
To modern eyes, this reads as an appealing universality, achieved through abstracting the particulars into intimations that are left up to the viewer to resolve.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 23 June 2023
Thankfully, Friedkin insisted on keeping Blatty’s backdrop, with its intimations of gothic mystery and Jesuitical inquiry.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
Everything is well, until Robbie’s Barbie begins having fleeting intimations of mortality, little oatmilk clouds in her coffee.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 19 July 2023
If Haugen’s Facebook files were a bracing exposé of the algorithms powering the globe’s largest social network, her new memoir is a series of softer intimations, revealing the person behind the documents.
—Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 6 July 2023
All intimations that Kalki is the final avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, making a cameo on Earth to eradicate evil, are either accepted without much pushback or apparently deemed unimportant.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2023
Like an overstuffed suitcase, there is lots to unpack — beginning with the idea that L.A. has finally (finally) achieved cultural capital status and ending with the intimation that the city’s art scene might wither without the presence of a strong philanthropist à la Broad.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2021
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Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
The problem is that all those scoops and curls and shadows, those flecks of luxury and intimations of depth, represent just the kind of decorative line items that get stricken from a conscientious budget.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2023
To modern eyes, this reads as an appealing universality, achieved through abstracting the particulars into intimations that are left up to the viewer to resolve.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 23 June 2023
Thankfully, Friedkin insisted on keeping Blatty’s backdrop, with its intimations of gothic mystery and Jesuitical inquiry.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
Everything is well, until Robbie’s Barbie begins having fleeting intimations of mortality, little oatmilk clouds in her coffee.
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 19 July 2023
If Haugen’s Facebook files were a bracing exposé of the algorithms powering the globe’s largest social network, her new memoir is a series of softer intimations, revealing the person behind the documents.
—Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 6 July 2023
All intimations that Kalki is the final avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu, making a cameo on Earth to eradicate evil, are either accepted without much pushback or apparently deemed unimportant.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2023
Like an overstuffed suitcase, there is lots to unpack — beginning with the idea that L.A. has finally (finally) achieved cultural capital status and ending with the intimation that the city’s art scene might wither without the presence of a strong philanthropist à la Broad.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intimation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1531, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near intimation
Cite this Entry
“Intimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intimation. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on intimation
Britannica English: Translation of intimation for Arabic Speakers
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