intimation

noun

in·​ti·​ma·​tion ˌin-tə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce intimation (audio)
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
They bored me stiff but George had expertise and gave occasional intimations of power in reserve.Tobias Wolff

Examples 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
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.
Comedy blends with intimations of the darkest aspects of our natures, and of everyday life. New York Times, 8 July 2024 So after ditching it in 2021, Toyota took a few years to come up with a new Land Cruiser that does justice to the off-road intimations of the nameplate but also is approachable and mainstream in ways the old model never was. Dale Buss, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Much of the success is owed to Russell’s immaculate lead performance, deftly blending momentous intimations via the smallest gestures, before turning on a dime to deliver big, boisterous, off-the-cuff outbursts. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2024 The octopus, the elephant, the great horned owl, the house cat, the giant tortoise, the chimpanzee: who, in all the vast animal kingdom, joins us in having intimations of mortality? Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for intimation 

Word History

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intimation was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near intimation

Cite this Entry

“Intimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intimation. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

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