as in hard
with great effort or determination
labored intensively in order to get the film ready for its premiere
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Recent Examples of intensively
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
This winter -- the fourth of Russia's full-scale invasion -- has seen Moscow intensively target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, wreaking havoc on the national grid and precipitating rolling and extended blackouts for millions of Ukrainians.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
This selective approach came after years of working intensively to support her two sons as a single mother.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
So important are Rubicon units that the Ukrainian security services are now intensively searching out their forward bases.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 2025
Conventional wisdom holds that this extreme variation is the result of humans intensively breeding dogs for particular traits over the past 200 years or so.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
And managers are reluctant to crack down too intensively.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Leyla’s was a Frenchman, an art collector twice her age, who picked her up in one of Moscow’s posh night clubs and began to educate her intensively.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Because there were only seven minutes left in the game, however, the 49ers quarterback instead gobbled three bananas while trainers intensively kneaded the muscles in his arm.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Waleed Albakry, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
This winter -- the fourth of Russia's full-scale invasion -- has seen Moscow intensively target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, wreaking havoc on the national grid and precipitating rolling and extended blackouts for millions of Ukrainians.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
This selective approach came after years of working intensively to support her two sons as a single mother.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
So important are Rubicon units that the Ukrainian security services are now intensively searching out their forward bases.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 2025
Conventional wisdom holds that this extreme variation is the result of humans intensively breeding dogs for particular traits over the past 200 years or so.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
And managers are reluctant to crack down too intensively.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Leyla’s was a Frenchman, an art collector twice her age, who picked her up in one of Moscow’s posh night clubs and began to educate her intensively.
—Julia Ioffe, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
Because there were only seven minutes left in the game, however, the 49ers quarterback instead gobbled three bananas while trainers intensively kneaded the muscles in his arm.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intensively
Adverb
-
What has been hardest is seeing ordinary lives, families, young people, civilians slowly reduced to headlines or abstractions, rather than recognized as individuals living under immense and sustained pressure.—
Emily Chan,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Essentially, what seem like small tweaks have noticeable impacts on control when pushing the ski hard.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
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,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
Reaching across five hourlong episodes, Peter Hammond’s BBC miniseries diligently translates the novel to the screen, with video soundstage interiors jutting up against celluloid exteriors.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
After completing fielding drills with Washington and Jolbert Cabrera, the fundamentals coach for Triple-A Sacramento, Eldridge listened intently to Washington’s defensive guidance for several minutes.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
This article is being continuously updated.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The device, a small, hexagonal silicone sensor worn on a patient’s chest, continuously tracked vital signs such as heart rate, temperature and breathing patterns.—
Hilke Schellmann,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The first year back from knee reconstruction is a tough one, and by all accounts, Darrisaw beat the timetable projection by arduously and relentlessly working through his rehab.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Dec. 2025
-
The composite record builds subtly and slowly, almost arduously.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
4 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Steele visited Epstein at his Upper East Side town house in 2017, and assiduously cultivated the millionaire across a year of correspondence.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
-
And despite the slow encroachment of the luxury market, the town still feels like a fairy tale pocket of the world, with most visitors assiduously trying to keep it that way.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Lutnick himself has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Ravin strenuously objected to the city’s numbers, saying the health center treated many more qualified residents.—
Suzanne King,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intensively. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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