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intimacy

n.
US //ˈɪntəməsi// UK //ˈɪntɪməsi// in·ti·ma·cy
  1. 1 emotional closeness (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a feeling of being very close to someone and being able to share your private thoughts with them.

    a state of close emotional connection and mutual understanding between individuals.

    Example

    The long walk by the lake allowed for a rare moment of intimacy between the two friends.

    Example

    True emotional intimacy requires a level of vulnerability that many people find difficult to achieve even in long-term partnerships.

  2. 2 physical or romantic closeness (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a close romantic or sexual relationship with another person.

    the state of being in a private, often sexual or romantic, relationship.

    Example

    They struggled to maintain their intimacy while working in different cities.

    Example

    The film explores the complexities of physical intimacy and how it evolves over decades of marriage.

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  1. 3 private details (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary Formal

    private or personal details about someone's life.

    private or personal information, often shared in confidence. Usually used in the plural form.

    Example

    After a few glasses of wine, they began to share the small intimacies of their childhoods.

    Example

    The biographer was criticised for revealing the private intimacies of the poet's life without the family's consent.

    Usage

    Often used in the plural form 'intimacies'.

Origin

From intimate + -cy.

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