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
Here, in a cheerfully cartoonish form, were intimations of just that.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025
Years of solitude, sharpened by intimations of mortality, have cracked the banker’s sense of certainty.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
There are intimations of down-home prosperity, like horn blasts in the fog.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025
Worse, intimations of foreign involvement might trigger a nuclear war, Johnson warned.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for intimation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 29 June 2025
Years of solitude, sharpened by intimations of mortality, have cracked the banker’s sense of certainty.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
There are intimations of down-home prosperity, like horn blasts in the fog.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025
Worse, intimations of foreign involvement might trigger a nuclear war, Johnson warned.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 19 May 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 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share