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 WolffExamples of intimation in a Sentence
the newscaster could not resist giving a slight intimation that the voting was going contrary to predictions
Recent Examples on the Web
The very strong intimation is that I was nourished by this wasteland.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
In a video posted Friday on X, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doubled down on his intimation that the Texas Lottery's days might be numbered, coming less than two weeks after the Texas House recommended reducing its budget to zero.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Donald Trump had already broken with international consensus by claiming, the month before, that Joe Biden’s intimations that Ukraine would one day join NATO had driven Russia to invade its neighbor in 2022.
—Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Here, in a cheerfully cartoonish form, were intimations of just that.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for intimation
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George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
In a video posted Friday on X, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doubled down on his intimation that the Texas Lottery's days might be numbered, coming less than two weeks after the Texas House recommended reducing its budget to zero.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Donald Trump had already broken with international consensus by claiming, the month before, that Joe Biden’s intimations that Ukraine would one day join NATO had driven Russia to invade its neighbor in 2022.
—Samuel Moyn, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Here, in a cheerfully cartoonish form, were intimations of just that.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for intimation
Cite this Entry
“Intimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intimation. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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