Synonym Chooser

How is the word intact distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of intact are entire, perfect, and whole. While all these words mean "not lacking or faulty in any particular," intact implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state.

the boat survived the storm intact

When might entire be a better fit than intact?

While in some cases nearly identical to intact, entire implies perfection deriving from integrity, soundness, or completeness of a thing.

the entire Beethoven corpus

In what contexts can perfect take the place of intact?

The words perfect and intact can be used in similar contexts, but perfect implies the soundness and the excellence of every part, element, or quality of a thing frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state.

a perfect set of teeth

When would whole be a good substitute for intact?

The words whole and intact are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, whole suggests a completeness or perfection that can be sought, gained, or regained.

felt like a whole person again after vacation

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of intact Woodard’s performance will remain intact, and Durant only interprets Ellie’s lines as spoken in English. Brian Welk, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2025 Switching to decaffeinated tea or coffee sadly isn’t the answer, as the polyphenols still remain intact. Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025 The other proposal would keep the RTA intact, give it more power — to manage fares, capital projects, bond issues and planning — yet leave the CTA, Metra and Pace boards and their operational independence intact. David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025 For one, don’t assume the line between online and offline will remain intact. Paul Getter, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for intact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intact
Adjective
  • Bravura performances flow to the ear and eye from pretty much the entire company.
    Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The entire structure is wrapped in a waterproof system to keep it dry.
    Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • As a general rule of thumb, 300-500 square inches will comfortably accommodate a whole brisket, pork shoulder, a full rack of baby back ribs, or about 20 quarter-pound burgers.
    Carrie Honaker, Southern Living, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The site has massive deals on hiking and camping gear, including tents for the whole family, comfortable hiking boots, camping chairs, and more.
    Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This prevents anyone, including law enforcement at international borders, from accessing your complete password vault.
    Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2025
  • When to Contact a Dermatologist Results from bacne treatment can take six to eight weeks to see, with complete clearing taking up to four months.
    Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Paint the windows: Paint the windows as normal, allowing the paint to overflow onto the liquid masking area to ensure full coverage of the wood.
    Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Boston will take a slightly different approach by announcing the name in a few weeks and the full crest in the summer.
    Meg Linehan, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Pep Guardiola needs fresh creativity in the attacking midfield area and Wirtz would have been perfect for this role.
    Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • That’s why Lily does something a bit nutty that, in its childlike way, also makes perfect sense.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Understanding The Core Layers Of Digital Infrastructure Building a comprehensive, future-proof digital environment means coordinating multiple technology layers.
    Ciaran Roche, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • And given the compute needs and size of the training data required to create a truly visually comprehensive multimodal model, the output quality of the images isn't necessarily as good as diffusion models just yet.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Intact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intact. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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