intensive

American  

[in-ten-siv] / ɪnˈtɛn sɪv /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by intensity.

   intensive questioning.

2. tending to intensify; intensifying.

3. Medicine/Medical.

   1. increasing in intensity or degree.

   2. instituting treatment to the limit of safety.

4. noting or pertaining to a system of agriculture involving the cultivation of limited areas, and relying on the maximum use of labor and expenditures to raise the crop yield per unit area (opposed to extensive).

5. requiring or having a high concentration of a specified quality or element (used in combination).

   Coal mining is a labor-intensive industry.

6. Grammar. indicating increased emphasis or force. Certainly is an intensive adverb. Myself in I did it myself is an intensive pronoun.

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noun

1. something that intensifies.

2. Grammar. an intensive element or formation, as -self in himself, or Latin -tō in iac-tō, “I hurl” from iacō, “I throw.”

intensive British  

/ ɪnˈtɛnsɪv /

adjective

1. involving the maximum use of land, time, or some other resource

   intensive agriculture

   an intensive course

2. (usually in combination) using one factor of production proportionately more than others, as specified

   capital-intensive

   labour-intensive

3. agriculture involving or farmed using large amounts of capital or labour to increase production from a particular area Compare extensive

4. denoting or relating to a grammatical intensifier

5. denoting or belonging to a class of pronouns used to emphasize a noun or personal pronoun, such as himself in the sentence John himself did it. In English, intensive pronouns are identical in form with reflexive pronouns

6. of or relating to intension

7. physics of or relating to a local property, measurement, etc, that is independent of the extent of the system Compare extensive

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noun

1. an intensifier or intensive pronoun or grammatical construction

Other Word Forms

• intensively
  adverb
• intensiveness
  noun
• unintensive
  adjective
• unintensively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of intensive

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from the Medieval Latin word intēnsīvus. See intense, -ive

Explanation

Intensive describes things that are extreme, highly dramatic, or just plain thorough. An intensive chemistry course meets six days a week for five hours a day. If you're in intensive care, you're getting close medical scrutiny, 24/7. Intensive is intense, which comes from the Latin for “high strung,” plus –ive, meaning “having the qualities of.” It’s an adjective that cranks up whatever it modifies. Doing too many intensive activities can make you high strung indeed, like taking that intensive chemistry class or participating in an intensive study on the effects of sleeplessness by staying awake for four days straight. That might get you put in intensive care.

Example Sentences

In September, Asha Farhan Hassan was charged for her role in defrauding Minnesota’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention benefit for autistic children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Intensive biological monitoring is required, and for exports to be protected, you need a global system for transparent sharing of data.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2025

Intensive dairy ranching began here more than 150 years ago, spawned by the Gold Rush population explosion in San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2025

Later research by the Intensive Care Society found that in January 2021, 6,099 ICU beds were filled across the UK, well above the pre-Covid capacity of 3,848.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2024

Intensive Care is quiet except for some light chatter and beeping machines.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

Related Words

• accelerated
• all-out
• comprehensive
• demanding
• in-depth
• thorough