intensity

American  

[in-ten-si-tee] / ɪnˈtɛn sɪ ti /

noun

• intensities
  plural

1. 

   the quality or condition of being intense.

2. great energy, strength, concentration, vehemence, etc., as of activity, thought, or feeling.

   He went at the job with great intensity.

3. a high or extreme degree, as of cold or heat.

4. the degree or extent to which something is intense.

5. a high degree of emotional excitement; depth of feeling.

   The poem lacked intensity and left me unmoved.

   Synonyms:

   vigor, energy, emotion, passion

6. the strength or sharpness of a color due especially to its degree of freedom from admixture with its complementary color.

7. Physics. magnitude, as of energy or a force per unit of area, volume, time, etc.

8. Speech.

   1. the correlate of physical energy and the degree of loudness of a speech sound.

   2. the relative carrying power of vocal utterance.

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intensity British  

/ ɪnˈtɛnsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being intense

2. extreme force, degree, or amount

3. physics

   1. a measure of field strength or of the energy transmitted by radiation See radiant intensity luminous intensity

   2. I. (of sound in a specified direction) the average rate of flow of sound energy, usually in watts, for one period through unit area at right angles to the specified direction

4. Also called: earthquake intensity. geology a measure of the size of an earthquake based on observation of the effects of the shock at the earth's surface. Specified on the Mercalli scale See Mercalli scale Richter scale

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overintensity
  noun
• superintensity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• intensities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of intensity

First recorded in 1655–65; intense + -ity

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Explanation

The way he stared deep into her eyes was making her uncomfortable. For a first date, this was too much intensity. Intensity is the degree, volume, or magnitude of a thing, such as fire, emotion, weather, work, or passion. Intensity is a word sometimes associated with passion, fire, and violence. It's used when discussing the level of such things as a love affair or, perhaps, a flame. For example, the intensity of the relationship between Bergman and Bogart in Casablanca was very high. Likewise, meteorologists measure the intensity of tornados on the Fujita Scale. Some things are meant to show intensity, such as performance by a great musician. Other things, such as, say, a blanket...not so much.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intensity intensities

In the latter stages of last season, his decision-making was much faster and his intensity seemed higher.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

When the small girl wails, “Something scary is coming again!” the intensity of her terror shatters your heart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

“It is a rate of expansion that represents a degree of intensity and sustained momentum that we believe is unmatched in recent economic history.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

“That just underscores the incredible capital intensity of this build-out,” he said, adding that he tried to be relatively conservative in his assumptions but still arrived at “enormous” figures.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

I saw myself speaking with intensity and conviction and never letting up.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

A strong El Niño event - a periodic warming of an area of surface water in the Pacific that contributes to weather patterns - is expected to push more tropical storms into these higher intensities.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

He also found Gisèle de Lestrange, the French printmaker he married in 1952, a companion whose discipline steadied him but could not protect either of them from his intensities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Mythos — trained to perform deep, multistep reasoning at higher intensities than previous models — is exceptionally good at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 18, 2026

Lu explained that excessive light loss prevents the device from reaching the high intensities required for optimal operation.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 24, 2026

In later years they change faces, places and maybe races, tactics, intensities and goals, but beneath those penetrable masks they wear forever the stocking-capped faces of childhood.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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Related Words

• anxiety
• concentration
• depth
• earnestness
• emotion
• energy
• excitement
• ferocity
• fervor
• fury
• magnitude
• power
• severity
• strength
• tension
• vigor

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