intensive

[in-ten-siv]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by intensity.

   intensive questioning.

2. tending to intensify; intensifying.

3. Medicine/Medical.

   1. increasing in intensity or degree.

   2. instituting treatment to the limit of safety.

4. noting or pertaining to a system of agriculture involving the cultivation of limited areas, and relying on the maximum use of labor and expenditures to raise the crop yield per unit area (extensive ).

5. requiring or having a high concentration of a specified quality or element (used in combination).

   Coal mining is a labor-intensive industry.

6. Grammar.,  indicating increased emphasis or force. Certainly is an intensive adverb. Myself in I did it myself is an intensive pronoun.

noun

1. something that intensifies.

2. Grammar.,  an intensive element or formation, as -self in himself, or Latin -tō in iac-tō, “I hurl” from iacō, “I throw.”

intensive

/ ɪnˈtɛnsɪv /

adjective

1. involving the maximum use of land, time, or some other resource

   intensive agriculture

   an intensive course

2. (usually in combination) using one factor of production proportionately more than others, as specified

   capital-intensive

   labour-intensive

3. agriculture involving or farmed using large amounts of capital or labour to increase production from a particular area Compare extensive

4. denoting or relating to a grammatical intensifier

5. denoting or belonging to a class of pronouns used to emphasize a noun or personal pronoun, such as himself in the sentence John himself did it. In English, intensive pronouns are identical in form with reflexive pronouns

6. of or relating to intension

7. physics of or relating to a local property, measurement, etc, that is independent of the extent of the system Compare extensive

noun

1. an intensifier or intensive pronoun or grammatical construction

Other Word Forms

• intensively adverb
• intensiveness noun
• unintensive adjective
• unintensively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of intensive¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from the Medieval Latin word intēnsīvus. See intense, -ive

Example Sentences

A nurse took me to the intensive care ward.

Read more on Literature

Whether it's a German-made Leopard 2 Tank or an American F-16 fighter jet, they all require intensive training, sizable support crews and a lot of spare parts.

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The bus had 46 passengers, said VC Sajjanar in a news conference, adding that one man who survived the accident had been admitted to an intensive care unit in a local hospital.

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AKI can occur after major stressors such as sepsis or heart surgery, and more than half of all intensive care patients experience it.

Read more on Science Daily

For some, intensive preparation for military service begins in preschool, where cadet classes include physical drills carried out in army-style uniforms.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accelerated www.thesaurus.com
• all-out 
• comprehensive 
• demanding 
• in-depth 
• thorough