intensely
Americanadverb
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to a high or extreme degree.
Many ingredients are rolled into this intensely flavorful and very versatile curry paste.
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(said in reference to emotions or feelings) acutely, strongly, or vehemently.
We should all be intensely angry about what is happening, and should do something besides just sitting at our computers absorbing information.
I disliked the book intensely.
-
earnestly or strenuously; in a highly engaged or involved way.
The first time I watched the documentary, all I saw was these four people talking intensely about their music.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intensely
Explanation
Anything that happens in an extreme or profound way is done intensely, like your practice of staring intensely at your cat in an attempt to read his mind. A roaring fire burns intensely, and you'd be the first to admit that you love your dog intensely. This fierce and strong adverb works well for things that are literally or figuratively powerful, so you can study intensely for your geometry quiz or witness an intensely destructive earthquake. The Latin root, intensus, means "stretched, strained, or tight."
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.
Atlantic puffins are the harlequins of the sea, colorful as a rainforest parrot—black backs, white bellies, quad-colored beaks and intensely orange feet and legs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Enforcing a phone-free policy at her personal request, the North Philadelphia native kept the audience intensely locked in — hanging onto her every word and every seemingly impossible note she struck with ease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Of course, I was intensely interested in Fox’s version of what happened when Eatherly shot him, but he wasn’t ready to discuss any of that.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Their results showed that cancer cells repeatedly damage and restore DNA within these intensely active regions.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026
I intensely followed all the news in the paper and watched the television news.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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.
