intensive

US /ˌɪnˈtɛnsɪv/ UK /ɪnˈtɛnsɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #11523

Meanings

1

adj
involving a lot of work or effort in a short time; highly concentrated.

I took a three-day intensive course in finance.
2

adj
needing or using a large amount of something.

This job is difficult because it is so labour-intensive.
3

noun
a short course that teaches a lot in a concentrated period of time.

She signed up for a summer intensive in creative writing.

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms biointensivecapital-intensivecarbon-intensiveenergy-intensivehyperintensivehypointensiveintensivelyintensivenessintensivistlabor-intensivelabour-intensiveneurointensive

Related forms extensive intendintensativeintense intensify intensity intentintentive

Appears in

Phrases (3)

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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…

*tend- Proto-Indo-European intensive Middle English intensif Old French intēnsīvus la-med intēnsus Latin

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Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# intensive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɪnˈtɛnsɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈtɛnsɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 11523

## Meanings
1. involving a lot of work or effort in a short time; highly concentrated.
2. needing or using a large amount of something.
3. a short course that teaches a lot in a concentrated period of time.

## Examples
- I took a three-day intensive course in finance.
- This job is difficult because it is so labour-intensive.
- She signed up for a summer intensive in creative writing.

## Derived Forms
- biointensive
- capital-intensive
- carbon-intensive
- energy-intensive
- hyperintensive
- hypointensive
- intensively
- intensiveness
- intensivist
- labor-intensive
- labour-intensive
- neurointensive

## Related Forms
- extensive
- intend
- intensative
- intense
- intensify
- intensity
- intent
- intentive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *tend-
- Root: intensive
- Root: intensif
- Root: intēnsīvus
- Root: intēnsus

## 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…

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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