1
as in hard
with great effort or determination
struggled intensely to master the language of her adopted country
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2
as in extremely
to a great degree
the senate race was intensely close
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intensely
As fires grew larger and burned more intensely, recreational losses sharpened.
—
Kyle Manley, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
Formed by a volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago, it's fed only by precipitation, resulting in its clear, intensely blue color.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
The result is intensely moving.
—Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
On land, Stellers are intensely social.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
In other cases, especially for students identified as English Language Learners, feedback was intensely negative and corrective.
—Rachel Del Guidice, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
MacInnes made a teary appearance on the stand yesterday, where Wilson’s barrister quizzed her intensely about her claims of a bad relationship with the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
Mensah has been intensely studying the history of her home, including all the people who have owned it.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
The intensely emotional lyrics were inspired by teenage memories of a friend dying from an overdose, and closes after nearly nine minutes with the singer roaring into a microphone.
—Steve Appleford, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2026
Kyle Manley, The Conversation, 6 May 2026
Formed by a volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago, it's fed only by precipitation, resulting in its clear, intensely blue color.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 3 May 2026
The result is intensely moving.
—Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
On land, Stellers are intensely social.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
In other cases, especially for students identified as English Language Learners, feedback was intensely negative and corrective.
—Rachel Del Guidice, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
MacInnes made a teary appearance on the stand yesterday, where Wilson’s barrister quizzed her intensely about her claims of a bad relationship with the Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect actress.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
Mensah has been intensely studying the history of her home, including all the people who have owned it.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
The intensely emotional lyrics were inspired by teenage memories of a friend dying from an overdose, and closes after nearly nine minutes with the singer roaring into a microphone.
—Steve Appleford, SPIN, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intensely
Adverb
-
Our team plays the game pretty hard and always looks for extra bases.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
In an individual sport, removed from any team dynamic, the results board made the fairness debate hard to ignore.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Adverb
-
Maine, too, saw its COVID numbers increase dramatically despite extremely high vaccination uptake.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
Even from my extremely suboptimal vantage point in the very front corner of the theater, I was awed by the depth and crispness of the 3D imagery.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
By the end of the seventeenth century, sassafras had become one of the primary exports of the early English colony of Jamestown, and the aromatic bark was harvested intensively for shipment to European markets.—
Kari Traylor,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Armed with subpoenas, the Secret Service and other agencies are intensively focusing on what might have caused the suspect to book a room at the Washington Hilton, less than two miles north of the White House, on the night of the annual dinner.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And yes, in 2026, rage coming from either side of the aisle is an incredibly powerful tool for marketing.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But there’s something incredibly unnatural about the fast attention of the internet.—
Charlie Harding,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
These qualities also tie her to Enyedi herself, who looks as intently and open-mindedly as Grete does.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
The deal was done, officials said, to solidify the corporate balance sheet, bolster standing with rating agencies and focus more intently Sempra’s utilities holdings — SDG&E, SoCalGas and Oncor.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
Your co-parent is managing treatment, uncertainty and the very real fear of how this will affect his relationship with his daughter.—
Jann Blackstone,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
-
The hearts and minds of Braves players were on Bobby Cox on a sunny evening at Dodger Stadium before the middle game of a three-game series against the Dodgers — a game that meant very little, considering the news of the day.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
Adverb
-
Then Faith Stafford, a senior deputy design director, worked diligently to re-create one design out of newspaper.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Both appear to be working diligently within their own municipalities while reaching out to others in the county and state, all for the common good.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
Not terribly hard, as he’s shown before.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
-
Not so coincidentally, Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930, was from Kansas, so Isaacman’s answer to a senator from that state isn’t terribly unexpected.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intensely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intensely. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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