capital-intensive

American  

[kap-i-tl-in-ten-siv] / ˈkæp ɪ tl ɪnˈtɛn sɪv /

adjective

1. requiring or using a very large amount of capital relative to the need for or use of labor.

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capital-intensive Cultural  

1. A term describing industries that employ relatively few laborers but that use expensive equipment. (Compare labor-intensive.)

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Etymology

Origin of capital-intensive

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

"It's unprecedented to scale a capital-intensive business so quickly."

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

“Financing risk to support the company’s transition to a capital-intensive business has pushed Oracle’s credit default swaps to the highest levels since the Great Recession,” he wrote.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

And manufacturing hard drives is less capital-intensive, Bryson added.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

Analysts at Goldman Sachs noted in a report Tuesday that a basket of European companies it considers capital-intensive has outperformed capital-light stocks—in industries such as media, retail, business services, and software—by 35% since 2025.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

The   development of an export market for natural gas is a bright spot for   future growth prospects, but improvement in the capital-intensive   hydrocarbons sector does little to reduce Egypt's persistent   unemployment.

From The 2005 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency