1
as in hard
with great effort or determination
struggled intensely to master the language of her adopted country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in extremely
to a great degree
the senate race was intensely close
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of intensely
Here, books that can seem overwhelming—books of dreams, infinity, mysteries—turn out to be intensely accessible, offering so many different ways to read them and think with them.
—
Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Joe Kent's interest in preventing terrorism is intensely personal.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
But Shelley resonates just as intensely, said Catherine Belling, an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The two countries have been intertwined over the last year or so, even more intensely since the US military’s raid on Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s compound that led to the longtime strongman being captured and taken away to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Another gripe was that the leads seemed to dislike each other intensely, and therefore didn’t seem particularly likable for the audience, though, again, this is probably also an early-in-the-season creative move.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Gooners, on the other hand, can spend hours intensely focused on masturbating while deliberately delaying climax.
—Jennifer Pollitt, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
The poor guy didn’t win Best Actor after his intensely hypebeasty campaign.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Barça’s club elections have many of the trappings of a real political election, with a long campaign that was intensely followed by Barcelona’s fans in Catalonia and the local media.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Joe Kent's interest in preventing terrorism is intensely personal.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
But Shelley resonates just as intensely, said Catherine Belling, an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The two countries have been intertwined over the last year or so, even more intensely since the US military’s raid on Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro’s compound that led to the longtime strongman being captured and taken away to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 17 Mar. 2026
Another gripe was that the leads seemed to dislike each other intensely, and therefore didn’t seem particularly likable for the audience, though, again, this is probably also an early-in-the-season creative move.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026
Gooners, on the other hand, can spend hours intensely focused on masturbating while deliberately delaying climax.
—Jennifer Pollitt, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
The poor guy didn’t win Best Actor after his intensely hypebeasty campaign.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Barça’s club elections have many of the trappings of a real political election, with a long campaign that was intensely followed by Barcelona’s fans in Catalonia and the local media.
—ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intensely
Adverb
-
Sporting pushed hard in the second half for an equalizer, and momentum appeared to be with the home club.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The hard-throwing righty sprinted up the dugout steps for one more out after his first three outs on Thursday.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
One of the more important revelations from Netanyahu’s press conference was about how the joint strikes with the United States, known as Operation Epic Fury, have been extremely effective at decimating Iran’s weapons.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Yet, actual bones have been extremely rare.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
There are many good reasons to intensively treat high blood pressure, but the benefits accumulate over many years.—
Mara Gordon,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Young people feel this most intensively.—
Stuart A. Spencer,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The conditioner is incredibly moisturizing and the shampoo lathers up nicely.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
-
That pricing makes scaling incredibly simple.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The adults in the room listened intently.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Taking the first three rows of seats, the family listened intently as Bumgarner announced the charges.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
After all, a sandy dance floor calls for a very different footwear strategy than a reception set atop a stone terrace—if shoes are required at all.—
Sarah Zendejas,
Vogue,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The start of the day seemed very normal to me.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Since then, Butler has diligently undergone rehab while trying to keep his spirits high.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Her determination to perform on stage led her to diligently practice and hone her acting technique and skills, resulting in standout roles in both our Spring musical and Fall play.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In Geekbench, the A18 Pro’s single-core speeds weren't terribly far behind the A16’s multi-core<\/em> speeds.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Also, stars in this frenzied state aren’t terribly stable; the fusion rate can be tempestuous, and the star undergoes incredibly violent paroxysms.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intensely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intensely. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
