intensely
Americanadverb
-
to a high or extreme degree.
Many ingredients are rolled into this intensely flavorful and very versatile curry paste.
-
(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.
The hyper-parented children who can finally get their intensely strict parents to laugh at the absurdity of their behavior.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
In the universe's earliest moments, temperatures reached trillions of degrees, creating an intensely hot mixture of quarks and gluons.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Nowhere are workers feeling the AI pressure more intensely than in the media business, where jobs have declined by more than 200,000, or roughly 15%, over the past four years, notes economics blogger Joseph Politano.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Reports this summer revealed intensely personal letters Harp sent Trump in 2023, including one telling him, “You are all that matters to me.”
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Even though my emotions were on a bit of a roller coaster, that didn’t mean I wasn’t intensely focused on my training.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
