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

These platforms enable the government to: • Avoid capital-intensive infrastructure procurement. —Sandeep Shilawat, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Seabed nodules were located at profound depth and pressure; extracting them was therefore a complex and capital-intensive process. —Time, 17 June 2025

But lower interest rates also help capital-intensive renewable energy projects — so higher lending to fossil fuels points to more favorable conditions for their clean competitors. —Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 17 June 2025

This is crucial for capital-intensive manufacturing businesses that are critical to U.S. economic competitiveness, including aerospace, automotive, electronics and military manufacturing. —Jamal Hagler, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025

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