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.
It’s an old-school way of thinking for the modern era — a belief that the work should be taken seriously but without ever letting the viewer in on how intensely he’s considering it.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
These are rituals that create a structure for intensely feeling brokenness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The intensely hot planet, classified as a "lava world," completes an orbit around its star in only one Earth day.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
“People are frustrated. I get it, and that’s why I’ve worked so intensely on taking on the industry through my time in the Legislature,” Allen said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He had a gift for finding and analyzing information on the subjects that interested him intensely.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
