intensive

1 of 2

adjective

in·​ten·​sive in-ˈten(t)-siv How to pronounce intensive (audio)
: 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.”

Examples of intensive in a Sentence

Adjective She is taking an intensive course in business writing. Maintaining the house's expansive gardens requires intensive effort.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
New renewable energy plants are highly capital intensive, and if the cost of capital remains high, investors will be less able, or less willing, to pay out. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 And, however it is pumped, the extra water available will also encourage farmers to adopt more intensive farming methods, using more fertilizer and machinery to grow thirstier cash crops, increasing the carbon footprint of the farm. Fred Pearce, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2024 The most recent season was especially difficult: The schedule itself was intensive, filming from June to September with little downtime in humid temperatures. Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Like most recycling, the process is energy intensive. Ted Alcorn, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 What happens as machine learning turns more toward inference rather than training—basically, if AI work becomes less computationally intensive? Lauren Goode, WIRED, 23 Feb. 2024 The loss of Russian gas in Germany led to a spike in energy costs that hammered energy intensive industries and contributed to high consumer inflation that eroded purchasing power and made consumers more reluctant to spend. David McHugh, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024 In late October, Israel told 1 million Palestinians in the north to move south for their safety, though intensive bombardments continued across the enclave. Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Today, animals raised in modern intensive facilities are kept hidden away from public view. Crystal Heath, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024
Noun
These programs range in length, price, and style—from intensives at rustic wilderness lodges to luxury wellness resorts with spa amenities. Julia Eskins, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 Over two weeks, six said creators will participate in workshops and direct meetings with industry leaders to help develop their drama pilots, starting with a three-day intensive that will include honing their pitching skills and learning about FX’s development process. Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Dec. 2023 Prominent studios across the country have risen to meet the demand, offering week-long adult intensives and even performance opportunities. Alice Robb, ELLE, 28 Feb. 2023 Their Race2Community program includes a nine-week intensive built to guide white women through deep introspection surrounding their own internalized white supremacy. Dana Brownlee, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2022 To make squat day more glute intensive, try using an exaggerated wide stance. Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 19 Oct. 2022 Out of each year’s participants, the program selects 400 enthusiastic, aspiring dancers to join a 10-week intensive at Boston Ballet. Karen Campbell, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 The ballet has the Otto M. Budig Academy, too, with a schedule of summer intensives. David Lyman, Cincinnati.com, 24 Mar. 2020 Lynx said many of the students who come for the monthslong intensives (another option) are divorced, or on their way to it. Nellie Bowles, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intensive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1604, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intensive was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near intensive

Cite this Entry

“Intensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intensive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

intensive

1 of 2 adjective
in·​ten·​sive in-ˈten(t)-siv How to pronounce intensive (audio)
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 How to pronounce intensive (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on intensive

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