1
as in hard
with great effort or determination
struggled intensely to master the language of her adopted country
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of intensely
The announcers need to study intensely, learning details not only about an athlete, but what a particular sport means to the populace of a country halfway around the world.
—
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
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 Feb. 2026
On the contrary, even its most outlandish and grotesque inventions are portrayed tastefully, with a sheen of aesthetic refinement that turns the most intensely emotional moments into emblems of emotion.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
What Margot [Robbie] does is really intensely developing movies from jump.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
Here’s why Mamdani is pushing Hochul—who emerged as a close ally during Mamdani’s 2025 campaign—on this issue so intensely.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
Pressure is intensely high for a fanbase (and ownership) used to winning.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Think pieces about Tell Me Lies have been examining why so many viewers, especially millennials, identify so intensely with Lucy, Stephen and the rest of their ’08 Baird College crew.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Visitors report mixed reviews of the interior, which was picked over by looters pretty intensely for more than 1,000 years.
—Katie Parla, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
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 Feb. 2026
On the contrary, even its most outlandish and grotesque inventions are portrayed tastefully, with a sheen of aesthetic refinement that turns the most intensely emotional moments into emblems of emotion.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
What Margot [Robbie] does is really intensely developing movies from jump.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2026
Here’s why Mamdani is pushing Hochul—who emerged as a close ally during Mamdani’s 2025 campaign—on this issue so intensely.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 18 Feb. 2026
Pressure is intensely high for a fanbase (and ownership) used to winning.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
Think pieces about Tell Me Lies have been examining why so many viewers, especially millennials, identify so intensely with Lucy, Stephen and the rest of their ’08 Baird College crew.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Visitors report mixed reviews of the interior, which was picked over by looters pretty intensely for more than 1,000 years.
—Katie Parla, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intensely
Adverb
-
Elsewhere, stories of economic gloom – from galloping inflation to restaurant closures and the knock-on impact of severe tax increases – describe the many ways in which the prolonged war in Ukraine is now hitting Russians hard in the pocket at home.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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The Marshall Tucker Band rocked The Guild in Menlo Park hard for 90 minutes on Friday night, turning in a 14-song performance that was an absolute testament to both the lasting greatness of this South Carolina troupe and the power of Southern rock.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Criminal defenses that meet the legal threshold to argue an alternative perpetrator was responsible are extremely uncommon in the state, legal experts told the Statesman.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Fajardo-Acosta described him as an extremely serious person who also possessed a good sense of humor, spoke very eloquently and read all the time.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Young people feel this most intensively.—
Stuart A. Spencer,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
In Danbury, as in many cities across the state, our planning and legal staff are working intensively to interpret the new requirements in order to implement them by the July 1 deadline.—
Waleed Albakry,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Meanwhile, close to 300,000 households were in the dark at the peak of the storm amid incredibly strong winds on Monday, and it’s expected to take days for many to get power back.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Fentanyl is an incredibly potent synthetic opioid that can be fatal in very small doses.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Tanimoto and his brothers, five in all, returned home for lunch to find their father listening intently to the radio.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Daytona Beach News-Journal / Imagn Images Across the diamond, a woman in her 50s listens intently to another instructor’s critique.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
In fact, very little separates them.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
22 Feb. 2026
-
So people are very patient with me.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Per a February 2026 Vogue profile of Love Story star Pidgeon, Mance and his team worked diligently to source authentic designer pieces and rebuild trust in the series’ portrayal of the glamorous publicist.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
21 Feb. 2026
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Caregivers — nannies, child care workers, preschool teachers, stay-at-home parents, grandparents who swoop in to help — work diligently behind the scenes.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Which would mean a terribly disappointing season.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The old model of network pilot season was terribly inefficient from a business standpoint.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intensely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intensely. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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