intently
Americanadverb
-
in a firmly or steadfastly fixed or directed way, as with the eyes, ears, or mind.
She sat there rapt, leaning on her elbows on the table, listening intently to us.
-
in a fully engaged or determined way that shows strength of purpose.
I know that many others have been working on their versions of the project far more intently—and coherently—than I.
Etymology
Origin of intently
Explanation
If you're studying something intently, you're probably leaning forward and you're oblivious to whatever is going on around you. Your attention is focused like a laser. If you're gazing intently into someone's eyes, you're hanging on to every blink of the eye, every nuance of expression. Maybe you're in love. When you do something intently, you do it with intensity. It's not a coincidence that intently sounds a lot like intensity, as they both come from the Latin intendere, made up of in- ("toward") and tendere ("stretch"). So when you're listening intently to a Bartók string quartet, you're stretching and straining to hear every note.
Vocabulary lists containing intently
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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List 2
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Refugee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Intently perched on plastic chairs, a wooden bench, or simply standing, the men cheered when Spain closed in and hissed softly when the Netherlands appeared to press forward.
From New York Times • Jul. 12, 2010
Intently they took instruction from an incisive young man, then hurried off in automobiles to nine cities of West Germany's industrial Ruhr.
From Time Magazine Archive
Intently, impassively, he hunched over his 2-ft. putt.
From Time Magazine Archive
Intently and seriously, M�re Genevi�ve studied the space for which she will design the stained glass.
From Time Magazine Archive
Intently over her shoulder, without slackening speed, she looked ahead for the driving face.
From Our Mutual Friend by Dickens, Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
