intense [in-tens] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for intense on Thesaurus.com adjective
- existing or occurring in a high or extreme degree: intense heat.
- acute, strong, or vehement, as sensations, feelings, or emotions: intense anger.
- of an extreme kind; very great, as in strength, keenness, severity, or the like: an intense gale.
- having a characteristic quality in a high degree: The intense sunlight was blinding.
- strenuous or earnest, as activity, exertion, diligence, or thought: an intense life.
- exhibiting a high degree of some quality or action.
- having or showing great strength, strong feeling, or tension, as a person, the face, or language.
- susceptible to strong emotion; emotional: an intense person.
- (of color) very deep: intense red.
- Photography. dense(def 4).
Origin of intense 1350–1400; Middle English Latin intēnsus, variant of intentus intent2, past participle of intendere to intend. See in-2, tense1 Related formsin·tense·ly, adverbin·tense·ness, nounhy·per·in·tense, adjectivehy·per·in·tense·ly, adverbhy·per·in·tense·ness, nouno·ver·in·tense, adjectiveo·ver·in·tense·ly, adverbo·ver·in·tense·ness, nounsu·per·in·tense, adjectivesu·per·in·tense·ly, adverbsu·per·in·tense·ness, nounCan be confusedintense intensive intentsSynonyms for intense See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com 2. fervent, passionate, ardent, strong. Related Words for intensely very, strongly, fiercely, profoundly, vehemently Examples from the Web for intensely Contemporary Examples of intensely
Washington was a passionate advocate for an intensely practical education for ex-slaves and their descendants.
College Must Be More Than Just a Classy Trade School
Michael S. Roth
August 30, 2014
There is one intensely sexual passage in which the protagonist cannot tell if he is sleeping or awake.
Haruki Murakami’s Weird, Wonderful World
Malcolm Jones
August 15, 2014
Who knew it was so complicated, so intensely evaluated, to be considered “internationally best dressed?”
Are These Really the Best Dressed People in the World?
Tim Teeman
August 6, 2014
Then I realized his resentment was based on what an intensely competitive guy he always was.
The Stacks: The Day Lou Gehrig Delivered Baseball’s Gettysburg Address
Ray Robinson
July 4, 2014
If I was intensely sick, they might feel generous enough to call the medical team to give me a shot to stop the nausea.
Tracey Mitchell
June 28, 2014
Historical Examples of intensely
I find I must be intensely individual, not to the exclusion of others, but in praying.
Isabella Alden
“I’m real glad you think so,” said Blinky, intensely gratified.
Louis Joseph Vance
It was the physician and not the man that felt so intensely.
Anonymous
It was intensely cold, but dry, and there was little or no wind.
Jules Verne
The mind was intensely receptive, when it was receiving at all.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 10, No. 58, August, 1862
Various
British Dictionary definitions for intensely intense adjective
- of extreme force, strength, degree, or amountintense heat
- characterized by deep or forceful feelingsan intense person
Derived Formsintensely, adverbintenseness, nounWord Origin for intense C14: from Latin intensus stretched, from intendere to stretch out; see intend usage Intense is sometimes wrongly used where intensive is meant: the land is under intensive (not intense) cultivation. Intensely is sometimes wrongly used where intently is meant: he listened intently (not intensely) Word Origin and History for intensely intense adj.
c.1400, from Middle French intense (13c.), from Latin intensus “stretched, strained, tight,” originally past participle of intendere “to stretch out, strain” (see intend); thus, literally, “high-strung.” Related: Intensely.