intensity

American  

[in-ten-si-tee] / ɪnˈtɛn sɪ ti /

noun

plural

intensities

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

• overintensity noun
• superintensity noun

Etymology

Origin of intensity

First recorded in 1655–65; intense + -ity

Example Sentences

What remains can now only be detected in mid-infrared light, where it glows at roughly one-tenth of its original intensity.

From Science Daily

New products ramping up between 2025 and 2027 and cost efforts targeting over 15 billion euros in annual savings and lower investment intensity are helping, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal

Recent downswings have swept up a wide range of stocks, from data providers and the Magnificent Seven to wealth managers and trucking companies, with a breadth and intensity that has surprised some investors.

From The Wall Street Journal

At an appearance at the University of Mannheim in southwest Germany, Breuer, in his gray-jacketed dress uniform, sprang from his chair, transforming what had been an avuncular presence into one of studied intensity.

From The Wall Street Journal

While winter storms are not uncommon, scientists say the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events on the Iberian Peninsula is partly down to climate change linked to rising greenhouse gas emissions.

From BBC

Related Words

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