intensive

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ten·​sive in-ˈten(t)-siv 

: of, relating to, or marked by intensity or intensification: such as

a

: highly concentrated

intensive study

b

: tending to strengthen or increase

especially : tending to give force or emphasis

intensive adverb

c

: constituting or relating to a method designed to increase productivity by the expenditure of more capital and labor rather than by increase in scope

intensive farming

intensively adverb

intensiveness noun

intensive

2 of 2

noun

: an intensive linguistic element

Did you know?

intensive purposes or intents and purposes?

If you are casting about for the phrase that is used to say that “one thing has the same effect or result as something else,” you are looking for for all intents and purposes; you are not looking for intensive purposes. Your purposes may indeed be intensive in some way (we don’t want to know the details), but these two words are not commonly found together as an idiom. The pairing of intents and purposes comes from a 1546 Act of Parliament conveying that King Henry VIII had unlimited power to interpret laws; it contained the phrase “to all intents, constructions, and purposes.”

Synonyms

Adjective

• acute
• almighty
• blistering
• deep
• dreadful
• excruciating
• explosive
• exquisite
• fearful
• fearsome
• ferocious
• fierce
• frightful
• furious
• ghastly
• hard
• heavy
• heavy-duty
• hellacious
• intense
• keen
• profound
• terrible
• vehement
• vicious
• violent

Examples of intensive in a Sentence

Adjective

She is taking an intensive course in business writing.

Maintaining the house's gardens requires intensive effort.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And when replanting the tree in another location, caretakers must ensure the same side of the succulent faces due north and follow an intensive watering regimen for the first few years after its move. —Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024

For 20 years, Nancy dedicated herself to Winter Park Elementary School in Wilmington, North Carolina, spending 17 of those years in special education, often in an intensive behavioral classroom. —Ronnie Li, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024

Noun

The first part of the two-week Incubator will be a four-day intensive focused on workshopping selected one-hour drama pilots, deepening pitch skills and gaining access and insights into the FX development process. —Lexi Carson, Variety, 14 June 2024

The classes range from three-hour workshops to daylong intensives — all, Aziz said, to cut down on bad experiences clients have been complaining about. —Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1604, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing intensive

• capital-intensive
• intensive care
• intensive care unit
• labor-intensive

Kids Definition

intensive

1 of 2 adjective

in·​ten·​sive in-ˈten(t)-siv 

1

: marked by special effort

an intensive campaign

2

: serving to give emphasis

an intensive adverb, as "dreadfully" in "it was dreadfully cold"

intensively adverb

intensiveness noun

intensive

2 of 2 noun

: an intensive word

"quite" is an intensive in "quite a guy"

Medical Definition

intensive

adjective

in·​ten·​sive in-ˈten(t)-siv 

: of, relating to, or marked by an extreme degree especially of dosage, duration, or frequency

high-dose intensive chemotherapy

intensive counseling for eating disorders

intensively adverb

treat intensively