intense
Americanadjective
-
existing or occurring in a high or extreme degree.
intense heat.
-
acute, strong, or vehement, as sensations, feelings, or emotions.
intense anger.
- Synonyms:
- strong, ardent, passionate, fervent
-
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.
adjective
-
of extreme force, strength, degree, or amount
intense heat
-
characterized by deep or forceful feelings
an intense person
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 )
Other Word Forms
- hyperintense adjective
- hyperintenseness noun
- intensely adverb
- intenseness noun
- overintense adjective
- overintenseness noun
- superintense adjective
- superintenseness noun
Etymology
Origin of intense
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin intēnsus, variant of intentus, past participle of the verb intendere “to stretch toward”; in- 2, tense 1, intent 2, intend
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.
Railroads transformed interstate commerce and fueled economic expansion, but they also produced boom-bust cycles, excess capacity, and intense volatility.
From Barron's
That’s led to intense selloffs in Software as a Service companies, logistics providers, legal and business information firms, and even real estate.
From Barron's
The Los Angeles County Fire Department oversaw the response of the Eaton fire, and it has come under intense scrutiny over the botched alerts and limited firefighting resources on the west side of town.
From Los Angeles Times
If they only rarely managed to show their class, they displayed character when the heat was at its most intense.
From BBC
“Normal is a mindset,” he said, calling his attitude pragmatic and a recognition of the intense work and stress his staff has been under for months.
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.
