Definition of INTENSIVE

intensive

Meanings

Plural: intensives

Noun

  • a modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies
  • A thing which makes something more intense; specifically (linguistics), a form of a word with a more forceful or stronger sense than the root on which it is built.
  • A course taught intensively, involving much activity in a short period of time.

Adjective Satellite

  • characterized by a high degree or intensity; often used as a combining form
    • "the questioning was intensive"
    • "intensive care"
    • "research-intensive"
    • "a labor-intensive industry"

Adjective

  • tending to give force or emphasis
    • "an intensive adverb"
  • of agriculture; intended to increase productivity of a fixed area by expending more capital and labor
    • "intensive agriculture"
    • "intensive conditions"

Adj

  • Done with intensity or to a great degree; thorough.
  • Being made more intense.
  • Making something more intense; intensifying.
  • Of agriculture: increasing the productivity of an area of land.
  • Making something more intense; intensifying.
  • Of a word: serving to give emphasis or force.
  • Involving much activity in a short period of time; highly concentrated.
  • Of or pertaining to innate or internal intensity or strength rather than outward extent.
  • Chiefly suffixed to a noun: using something with intensity; requiring a great amount of something; demanding.
  • Chiefly suffixed to a noun: using something with intensity; requiring a great amount of something; demanding.
  • Chiefly in intensive care: of care or treatment: involving a great degree of life support, monitoring, and other forms of effort in order to manage life-threatening conditions.
  • That can be intensified; allowing an increase of degree.
  • Synonym of intense (“extreme or very high or strong in degree; of feelings, thoughts, etc.: strongly focused”).

Origin / Etymology

The adjective is derived from Late Middle English intensive (“fervent, great, intense”), borrowed from Old French intensif, intensive (modern French intensif) + Middle English -ive (suffix meaning ‘of the nature of, relating to’ forming adjectives), equivalent to intense + -ive. Intensif is from Medieval Latin intēnsīvus, from Latin intēnsus (“attentive; eager, intent; intensive”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘doing; related to doing’); and intēnsus is the perfect passive participle of intendō (“to stretch out, strain”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘to, towards’) + tendō (“to extend, stretch, stretch out”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to extend, stretch”)). Doublet of intend.
The noun is derived from the adjective.

Scrabble Score: 12

intensive is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
intensive is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
intensive is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

intensive is a valid Words With Friends word