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 of intensive

Adjective

• intense
• fierce
• ferocious
• deep
• terrible

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

The intensive land use required to grow corn for ethanol has its own effects on water quality and fertilizer use as well, Runge says. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 22 May 2026

Upstairs, in the third-floor intensive-care unit, nurse Tammy Fritchey, a 27-year-veteran, places blankets and pillows over patients who are too sick to move, the ones on ventilators. —Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026

Noun

At Rio Retreat Center, located on the grounds of The Meadows, programming centers on specialized workshops and multi-day intensives covering trauma, addiction, grief, emotional growth and relationship recovery. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026

Rio Retreat Center, located on the grounds of The Meadows, offers specialized workshops and multi-day intensives focused on trauma, addiction, grief, emotional growth and relationship healing. —Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2026

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

Rhymes for intensive

• defensive
• expensive
• extensive
• offensive
• ostensive
• prehensive
• suspensive
• antihypertensive
• apprehensive
• coextensive
• comprehensive
• hypertensive

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