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

Acuña was tended to for several minutes by the Braves trainer, with Weiss looking on intently, before heading straight to the home clubhouse. — ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026

As the Israeli media focussed intently on the incursion, Einhorn grew restless about the progress of the pro-Qatar campaign. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Jonathan Skolnik positioned himself at the corner of the model nearest lower Manhattan and began tracing his family's history across the five boroughs as his son, Tosha, listened intently. — CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Zvyagintsev intently places the intimate domestic conflict against the bleak geopolitical backdrop, a hallmark of his filmmaking for decades. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for intently

• gently