capital-intensive

adjective

cap·​i·​tal-in·​ten·​sive ˈka-pə-tᵊl- in-ˈten(t)-siv 

ˈkap-tᵊl-

: having a high capital cost per unit of output

especially : requiring greater expenditure in the form of capital than of labor

Examples of capital-intensive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

CoreWeave has turned to multiple financing channels to fund the capital-intensive expansion needed to keep pace with the AI boom. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026

Instead, Big Tech is increasingly tapping private equity, private credit and using debt to finance the capital-intensive build-out of the facilities. —April Roach, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026

This is shaping up to be the most capital-intensive technology transition in modern history, and the gains from that investment are flowing disproportionately to those few who own the infrastructure behind it. —Ravi Kumar S, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

Many sovereign energy and infrastructure initiatives in these regions are capital-intensive, cross-border in nature, and subject to evolving regulatory frameworks. —Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for capital-intensive

• antihypertensive
• apprehensive
• coextensive
• comprehensive
• hypertensive
• hypotensive
• inexpensive
• inoffensive
• normotensive
• counteroffensive
• defensive
• expensive