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

Adjective

• acute
• almighty
• blistering
• deep
• dreadful
• excruciating
• explosive
• exquisite
• fearful
• fearsome
• ferocious
• fierce
• frightful
• furious
• ghastly
• hard
• heavy
• heavy-duty
• hellacious
• intense
• keen
• profound
• terrible
• vehement
• vicious
• violent

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

That could include chemical-intensive lab work like testing sea lions, killer whales and walruses from Alaska for environmental contaminants, Tolimieri said. —Lisa Song, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2025

Class-size mandates effectively compete with other investments, like hiring more mental health professionals or investing in intensive teacher training for the existing workforce. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2025

Noun

Panel discussions, artist intensives and professional education workshops are also on offer. —Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025

Applications are now open for the SXSW Sydney edition of the American Pavilion Worldwide Student Program, an educational intensive that gives students from a variety of disciplines an opportunity to immerse themselves in the Australian branch of the multipronged media festival. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 8 July 2024

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