intently

adverb

in·​tent·​ly in-ˈtent-lē 

: in an intent or concentrated manner : with great effort, attention, or concentration

Their eyes, when they look at you and listen intently, focus like laser beams.

—Molly Haskell

He turned back to face her again and stared at her most intently.

—Robert C. O'Brien

Synonyms of intently

• hard
• intensively
• intensely
• diligently
• resolutely
• determinedly
• continuously
• doggedly
• arduously
• assiduously
• purposefully
• industriously

Examples of intently in a Sentence

intently studied his notes just before the exam

Recent Examples on the Web

The Roku board was also intently focused on maximizing value, another person familiar with the matter said, suggesting that Netflix came up short of the $160-per-share bid that Fox offered. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 16 June 2026

Rinderknecht sat next to Haney, clad in a dark suit, intently listening to the lawyers’ statements. —Sierra Van Der Brug, Daily News, 10 June 2026

Jack appeared to be just as tall as his dad, who could be seen intently watching the game. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026

Not since David Beckham arrived to MLS in 2007 had the world so intently focused its attention of American domestic soccer. —Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for intently

• gently