intensity

American  

[in-ten-si-tee] / ɪnˈtɛn sɪ ti /

noun

intensities plural

1. the quality or condition of being intense.

2. great energy, strength, concentration, vehemence, etc., as of activity, thought, or feeling.

   He went at the job with great intensity.

3. a high or extreme degree, as of cold or heat.

4. the degree or extent to which something is intense.

5. a high degree of emotional excitement; depth of feeling.

   The poem lacked intensity and left me unmoved.

   Synonyms:

   vigor, energy, emotion, passion

6. the strength or sharpness of a color due especially to its degree of freedom from admixture with its complementary color.

7. Physics. magnitude, as of energy or a force per unit of area, volume, time, etc.

8. Speech.

   1. the correlate of physical energy and the degree of loudness of a speech sound.

   2. the relative carrying power of vocal utterance.

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intensity British  

/ ɪnˈtɛnsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being intense

2. extreme force, degree, or amount

3. physics

   1. a measure of field strength or of the energy transmitted by radiation See radiant intensity luminous intensity

   2.  I.  (of sound in a specified direction) the average rate of flow of sound energy, usually in watts, for one period through unit area at right angles to the specified direction

4. Also called: earthquake intensity.  geology a measure of the size of an earthquake based on observation of the effects of the shock at the earth's surface. Specified on the Mercalli scale See Mercalli scale Richter scale

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superintensity
  noun
• overintensity
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• intensities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of intensity

First recorded in 1655–65; intense + -ity

Explanation

The way he stared deep into her eyes was making her uncomfortable. For a first date, this was too much intensity. Intensity is the degree, volume, or magnitude of a thing, such as fire, emotion, weather, work, or passion. Intensity is a word sometimes associated with passion, fire, and violence. It's used when discussing the level of such things as a love affair or, perhaps, a flame. For example, the intensity of the relationship between Bergman and Bogart in Casablanca was very high. Likewise, meteorologists measure the intensity of tornados on the Fujita Scale. Some things are meant to show intensity, such as performance by a great musician. Other things, such as, say, a blanket...not so much.

Example Sentences

On a sweltering day, they could not play at a breakneck speed, could not bring that physical intensity to bear, and the quieter tempo almost suited them.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

The team found that the timing and intensity of these flashes should follow predictable trends rather than appearing randomly.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

The WMO said there was no evidence that climate change increases the frequency or intensity of El Nino events.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

At United Nations climate conferences in Copenhagen in 2009 and Paris in 2015, Beijing vowed sizeable reductions in the amount of carbon China emits per dollar of gross domestic product, or carbon intensity.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Students at that black school had been protesting since February 5 a segregated bowling alley in town, with demonstrations growing in size and intensity over the next few days.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• anxiety
• concentration
• depth
• earnestness
• emotion
• energy
• excitement
• ferocity
• fervor
• fury
• magnitude
• power
• severity
• strength
• tension
• vigor