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

The peacocks continue to screech in the distance, while Charli leans on the railing and stares out intently at the Los Angeles skyline. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 18 June 2026

Burke has pleaded not guilty and followed the Wednesday hearing intently, nodding along as the judge spoke. — Nancy Dillon, VIBE.com, 17 June 2026

The sparks would hit, Leiya would blow intently, and then nothing. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 17 June 2026

The Roku board was also intently focused on maximizing value, another person familiar with the matter said, suggesting that Netflix came up short of the $160-per-share bid that Fox offered. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for intently

• gently