“Intact” describes something that remains whole, complete or undamaged. Cambridge defines it in terms of being complete and not damaged, giving writers a precise choice when “unchanged” alone would be too broad.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
“Intact” means complete and not damaged or destroyed. It commonly appears after verbs such as “remain” or “keep”: “The seal remained intact.”
Key details
Core Meaningcomplete, undamaged or unchanged in an important way
Word Classadjective
Further guidance
Meaning
Use “intact” for physical or figurative wholeness when the important point is that something has not been broken, damaged or destroyed.
Usage Boundary
Do not automatically replace every use of “unchanged” with “intact.” “Intact” emphasizes preserved completeness or integrity, not merely the absence of any change.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Belated” describes something that comes or happens later than expected. The distinction matters in familiar expressions such as “belated birthday wishes,” where the lateness belongs to the wishes, apology or acknowledgment.
“Fulsome” is a formal adjective often used of praise, compliments or apologies that are so abundant they can sound excessive or insincere. Cambridge’s treatment makes tone central to the word’s practical use.
“Agreeance” has dictionary support as a rare noun for the state or act of agreeing, but “agreement” is the ordinary modern noun. The useful writing decision is therefore not whether agreeance exists, but whether its marked rarity serves the sentence better than the standard alternative.
“Ain’t” is a nonstandard or informal negative form that can stand for “am not,” “is not,” “are not,” “has not,” or “have not.” It is widespread in speech and dialectal writing, but many formal edited contexts prefer the corresponding standard contraction or full form.
“Albeit” is a concise formal word for introducing a concession: something remains true despite the qualification that follows. Cambridge defines it with the sense “although” or “despite the stated thing,” so the guide focuses on that concessive job rather than treating the word as decorative formality.
“Apropos” has more than one grammatical job. It can connect a new point to the subject just mentioned, often in the pattern “apropos of,” and it can also function as an adjective meaning suitable or appropriate. The guide keeps those senses separate so the word is not reduced to one substitution rule.
