intensive

adjective

in-ˈten(t)-siv How to pronounce intensive (audio)
Definition of intensivenext
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect Maintaining the house's expansive gardens requires intensive effort.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 intensive State and local officials paired vaccination mandates with intensive, on-the-ground outreach in Hasidic Jewish and other communities where immunization rates were lowest. — Raj Panjabi, STAT, 21 Oct. 2026 Some elements used in various lithium-ion battery chemistries are more energy-intensive to mine and refine than others. — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026 Miners usually use roasting to strip out arsenic, cooking ore at extreme temperatures through an energy-intensive process. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026 But the intensive 40-day period of mourning has reached its boundary. — Shushan Karapetian, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for intensive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intensive
  1. intense
  2. fierce
  3. ferocious
  4. deep
  5. terrible
Adjective
  • George Bonanno, a psychologist at Columbia University, explains that many people who have intense symptoms initially—such as nightmares and flashbacks—won’t develop PTSD.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Still, the competition among jewelers is becoming more intense, not only for sports team’s commissions but also to design ever flashier pieces with intricate details.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of intense
Adjective
  • His successor, Bennett, had been among its fiercest critics, raising the prospect that the arrangement might finally end.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The deadly fire erupted Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where fierce winds fueled flames that spread beyond the installation and into surrounding rural areas.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of fierce
Adjective
  • After the initial blast, which spews out gamma rays, a storm of radiation pours into the surrounding galaxy, creating a ferocious afterglow that burns in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The characters thrust and parry with ferocious wit in an upscale California desert setting that scenic designer Scott Pask generically satirizes as a category of social living.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of ferocious
Adjective
  • While countries like Sweden and France are pursuing similar deep geological repositories, Finland has officially crossed the finish line first.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • John Anderson, the beloved hitmaker known for his deep country warble, died on Wednesday at the age of 71.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of deep
Adjective
  • The second storyline takes place in 2026 and concerns the murder of none other than Hal Jordan, who returned to Rushville as a social pariah after the terrible events that transpired 10 years before.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The Eagles are struggling, the Cowboys look terrible, and the Giants don’t have a quarterback.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of terrible

Browse Nearby Words

intensity
intensive
intensively
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intensive. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All