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Glite Dictionary
intimate apparel

intimate apparel

1 3.7
Clothes women wear under other clothes, for example bras and panties
  • noun
  • /ˈɪntɪmət əˈpɛrəl/
  • US
translation icon : lencería

How did you start a lingerie intimate apparel?

Examples

  • "Tempo," for example, was little more than a collection of ads for intimate apparel.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • She walked into the store looking for the perfect intimate apparel for her wedding night.

  • The latest trends in intimate apparel include comfortable bras and stylish panties.

  • Designer brands are offering a wide variety of intimate apparel, from elegant slips to cozy loungewear.

Synonyms

underwear
vsintimate apparel
507 1.0

Clothes that you wear next to your skin under other clothes

is limited to women's items and includes nightclothes
lingerie
vsintimate apparel
  • NSFW
86 4.8

Clothes that women wear under other clothes, often thin and pretty

is the same garments without stressing attractiveness
underthing
vsintimate apparel
  • Informal
3 8.4

A piece of clothing worn under other clothes like socks or an undershirt

is the broader set of women's inner and night garments, not one piece
underclothing
vsintimate apparel
1 1.4

Clothes you wear next to your skin under other clothes

emphasizes women's pieces and includes delicate night garments
undies
vsintimate apparel
  • Informal
1 7.7

Light women's underwear like panties or bras

is the formal category covering women's inner and night garments
underclothes
vsintimate apparel
1.5

Clothes worn next to the skin under other clothes

is about women's specific items including nightwear
undergarb
vsintimate apparel
5.9

Clothes worn next to your body, like underwear

refers to women's specific inner garments and sleepwear rather than any layer

How Revealing

negligee
10 7.4
intimate apparel
  • US
1 3.7
underwear
507 1.0
nightgown
60 1.0

Surface Forms

intimate apparel singular
intimate apparels plural

Morphology

intimate + apparel

The meaning 'women's underwear and nightclothes' is directly derivable from combining 'intimate' (private/personal/sexual) with 'apparel' (garments) to yield 'clothing for private or personal use'. This is a transparent, compositional pattern with clear cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. Spanish 'ropa íntima'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Intimate apparel comes from the idea that intimate means very private and close to the body and apparel means clothing, so it paints a picture of clothes worn next to the skin. That's why it means 'women's underwear and nightclothes'.