Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Dictionary

Thesaurus

Medical

Scrabble^®

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Dictionary

¹intensive

adjective in·ten·sive \in-ˈten(t)-siv\

: involving very great effort or work

grammar : giving force or emphasis to a statement

of farming : designed to increase production without using more land

Full Definition of INTENSIVE

: of, relating to, or marked by intensity or intensification: as

a : highly concentrated <intensive study>

b : tending to strengthen or increase; especially : tending to give force or emphasis <intensive adverb>

c : constituting or relating to a method designed to increase productivity by the expenditure of more capital and labor rather than by increase in scope <intensive farming>

— in·ten·sive·ly adverb

— in·ten·sive·ness noun

See intensive defined for English-language learners

See intensive defined for kids

First Known Use of INTENSIVE

15th century

Related to INTENSIVE

Synonyms: acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent

Antonyms: light, moderate, soft

²intensive

noun

Definition of INTENSIVE

: an intensive linguistic element

See intensive defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of INTENSIVE

1813

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

Rhymes with INTENSIVE

defensive, offensive

INTENSIVE[1] Defined for Kids

¹intensive

adjective in·ten·sive \in-ˈten-siv\

Definition of INTENSIVE for Kids

: involving special effort or concentration <intensive study>

: giving emphasis <The pronoun “myself” in “I myself did it” is intensive.>

²intensive

noun

Definition of INTENSIVE for Kids

: a word that emphasizes or stresses something <“Quite” is an intensive in “quite a musician.”>

Medical Dictionary

intensive

adjective in·ten·sive \in-ˈten(t)-siv\

Medical Definition of INTENSIVE

: of, relating to, or marked by intensity; especially : involving the use of large doses or substances having great therapeutic activity—compare aggressive 3

—in·ten·sive·ly adverb