intense
Americanadjective
-
existing or occurring in a high or extreme degree.
intense heat.
-
acute, strong, or vehement, as sensations, feelings, or emotions.
intense anger.
- Synonyms:
- strong, ardent, passionate, fervent
-
of an extreme kind; very great, as in strength, keenness, severity, or the like.
an intense gale.
-
having a characteristic quality in a high degree.
The intense sunlight was blinding.
-
strenuous or earnest, as activity, exertion, diligence, or thought.
an intense life.
-
exhibiting a high degree of some quality or action.
-
having or showing great strength, strong feeling, or tension, as a person, the face, or language.
-
susceptible to strong emotion; emotional.
an intense person.
-
(of color) very deep.
intense red.
-
Photography. dense.
adjective
-
of extreme force, strength, degree, or amount
intense heat
-
characterized by deep or forceful feelings
an intense person
Usage
Intense is sometimes wrongly used where intensive is meant: the land is under intensive (not intense ) cultivation. Intensely is sometimes wrongly used where intently is meant: he listened intently (not intensely )
Other Word Forms
- hyperintense adjective
- hyperintenseness noun
- intensely adverb
- intenseness noun
- overintense adjective
- overintenseness noun
- superintense adjective
- superintenseness noun
Etymology
Origin of intense
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin intēnsus, variant of intentus, past participle of the verb intendere “to stretch toward”; in- 2, tense 1, intent 2, intend
Explanation
Intense means strong or extreme. If you accidentally spill a cup of hot coffee on yourself, you’ll probably feel intense heat, intense pain, and — if anyone happened to be watching — intense embarrassment. When using intense, we often refer to a specific feeling or emotion, as in the case of “intense dread” or “intense happiness.” Intense can also be used to describe exciting experiences as well as people with strong or insistent personalities. For example, if your intense friend insists on taking you bungee jumping, you’re guaranteed to have an intense experience. Intense comes from a Latin word meaning “stretched,” implying that something has been stretched to its maximum limit.
Vocabulary lists containing intense
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
Others dial back from an intense and singular focus on a job before they retire, allowing them to transition more easily into a less-career-oriented phase.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
In these extreme environments, intense heat produces gamma rays that strip neutrons and other particles from existing heavy nuclei.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
The number of potholes in L.A. jumped early this year after an intense rainy season soaked the city.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
And the attention on space is intense right now, with the huge succesof NASA’s Artemis II mission and SpaceX on the cusp of an initial public offering.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
So instead I'd better move...Bobby’s years of playing intense speed games helped lead to his ability to instantly comprehend the relationships of the pieces on the board.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
