intact

intact — adjective

1. remaining in the condition something was originally in, with nothing taken away,

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

remaining in the condition something was originally in, with nothing taken away, changed, or broken off.

Example

Élise was amazed to find the old kitchen still intact behind a modern wall.

still intact — unchanged state after time

The museum curator kept the ancient jewellery intact inside a glass case.

keep + noun + intact — preserving original condition

Common collocations
  • remain intact
  • keep something intact
  • still intact
  • survive intact
Synonyms
  • whole

    more everyday word; 'whole' does not imply an original state — a whole cake is simply not cut.

  • untouched

    suggests nothing has interfered with or altered something; stronger sense of preservation than 'intact'.

  • unspoiled

    positive connotation, often used for natural landscapes or food; less factual than 'intact'.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

remain intact

keep + noun + intact

survive intact

Usage Note

Unlike 'complete', 'intact' emphasises that nothing has been removed or altered from the original. It is typically used after linking verbs such as 'remain', 'stay', and 'keep'.

Common Mistakes

The old house was intact with original windows.
The old house still had its original windows.
'intact' describes a state of wholeness, not possession of features. Use 'still has' or 'retains' for attributing specific parts.

2. not broken, harmed, or ruined after being in a dangerous or destructive situatio

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

not broken, harmed, or ruined after being in a dangerous or destructive situation.

Example

The old church survived the earthquake intact while the houses around it collapsed.

survive + intact — enduring a disaster without damage

Christopher dropped his phone on the stone floor, but the screen was still intact.

Common collocations
  • survive intact
  • emerge intact
  • escape intact
  • remain intact
  • still intact
Synonyms
  • undamaged

    more concrete and specific to physical harm; 'undamaged' focuses on absence of dents, cracks, or breaks.

  • unharmed

    mainly for living things (people, animals); 'unharmed' emphasises personal safety.

  • unscathed

    more dramatic register — suggests surviving something that normally causes harm; 'she walked away unscathed'.

Antonyms
  • damaged

    having some physical harm or injury

  • destroyed

    completely ruined, beyond repair

  • ruined

    spoiled or damaged so that value is lost

Grammar Patterns

survive + noun + intact

emerge intact

escape intact

remain intact

Usage Note

Frequently appears after verbs that describe surviving or escaping a threat: 'survive intact', 'escape intact', 'emerge intact'. The subject is typically an object, building, or area that has gone through a dangerous event.

Common Mistakes

The patient was intact after surgery.
The patient recovered well after surgery.
'intact' is used for objects and structures, not for people recovering from medical procedures.

3. (of a male animal) still possessing its reproductive organs; not neutered, castr

3.adjectiveC1
Definition

(of a male animal) still possessing its reproductive organs; not neutered, castrated, or spayed.

Example

The veterinarian advised Baraka to keep his intact male cat indoors.

intact + male + [animal] — describing reproductive status

Ilan asked the farmer whether the prize bull was still intact.

Common collocations
  • intact male
  • intact dog
  • intact cat
  • still intact (veterinary sense)
Synonyms
  • unneutered

    more direct everyday term; less formal than 'intact'.

  • entire

    technical term used mainly by breeders and vets in British English.

Antonyms
  • neutered

    (of a male animal) having had reproductive organs removed

  • castrated

    specific term for removal of testicles

  • spayed

    (of a female animal) having had ovaries removed

Grammar Patterns

intact + male + animal

still intact (of an animal)

Usage Note

Used mainly by veterinarians, breeders, and animal welfare workers. In everyday conversation, 'not neutered' or 'not fixed' is more common. For female animals, the equivalent term is 'unspayed'.

Word family

  • intactness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/2

All four words describe something that has not been harmed or destroyed. 'Intact' is the broadest — it applies to objects, buildings, documents, and even abstract things (a reputation intact), and it carries the idea of wholeness or completeness. 'Undamaged' is more concrete, focusing specifically on the absence of physical harm: you would say 'an undamaged car' but not 'an undamaged reputation'. 'Unharmed' is used mainly for living things — people, animals, plants — and emphasises personal safety rather than structural wholeness. 'Unscathed' is the most dramatic: it suggests surviving an event that would normally cause injury or ruin, such as an accident or attack ('the driver walked away from the crash unscathed'). Use 'intact' for a neutral statement about wholeness; 'undamaged' to stress no physical injury to an object; 'unharmed' for living beings; and 'unscathed' for a powerful survival story.

undamaged ↗unharmed ↗unscathed

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • completely intact
  • fully intact
  • perfectly intact
  • remarkably intact
  • still intact

Phrases

  • keep something intact
  • remain intact
  • stay intact
  • survive intact
  • emerge intact

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'intactus', meaning 'untouched'. It combines the prefix 'in-' ('not') with 'tactus', the past participle of 'tangere' ('to touch'). So the original sense was literally 'not touched' — something that remains exactly as it was, with no interference. English borrowed the word directly from Latin in the late 15th century.