Adjective: intensive
Comparison Forms
Synthetic
Perifrastic
| Comparative | more intensive |
| Superlative | most intensive |
Sample Sentences
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Secondly, I continue to base my concepts on intensive study of a limited suite of collections, rather than superficial study of every packet that comes to hand. [1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, “Preface”, in The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii:]
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an intensive verb or preposition
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Ariſtophanes deriueth it [the word asp] from Alpha, an intenſiue Particle, and Spizo vvhich ſignifieth to extend; either by reaſon of his ſharpe-ſhrill hiſſing, or for the length of his body. [1608, Edward Topsell, “Of Aspes”, in The Historie of Serpents. Or, The Second Booke of Liuing Creatures: […], London: […] William Jaggard, →OCLC, pages 54–55:]
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I took a three-day intensive course in finance.
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This job is difficult because it is so labour-intensive.
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She was moved to the intensive-care unit of the hospital.
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As his [God's] Perfection is infinitely greater than the perfection of a Man, ſo it is infinitely greater than the perfection of an Angel; and vvere it not infinitely greater than the perfection of an Angel, it could not be infinitely greater than the perfection of a Man, becauſe the intenſive diſtance betvveen the perfection of an Angel and of a Man is but finite: […] [a. 1677 (date written), Matthew Hale, “Certain Objections against the Truths Formerly Delivered, and against the Reasons Given in Proof thereof, with Their Solutions”, in The Primitive Origination of Mankind, Considered and Examined According to the Light of Nature, London: […] William Godbid, for William Shrowsbery, […], published 1677, →OCLC, section I, page 122:]
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Faſcination is the povver and act of Imagination, intenſiue vpon other bodies, than the bodie of the Imaginant; […] [1605, Francis Bacon, “The Second Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, […], →OCLC, folio 46, recto:]
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The queſtion is in vvhat part of this Serpent the poyſon doth lye; Some ſay in the head alone, and that therefore the Bazeliske is deafe, bycauſe the Ayre vvhich ſerueth the Organe of hearing, is reſolued by the intenſiue calidity: but this ſeemeth not to bee true, […] [1608, Edward Topsell, “Of the Cockatrice”, in The Historie of Serpents. Or, The Second Booke of Liuing Creatures: […], London: […] William Jaggard, →OCLC, page 124:]
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[T]he Imagination invvardly or outvvardly moued, repreſents to the vnderſtanding, not intiſements only to favour the paſſion or diſlike, but a very intenſiue pleaſure follovves the paſſion, or diſpleaſure, and the vvill and reaſon are captivated by delighting in it. [1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Immediate Cause of These Precedent Symptoms [of Melancholy]”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy, […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 1, section 3, member 3, subsection 1, page 263:]
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Some therefore vvere of opinion, that […] vvith that aſſiduous attendance, and intenſive circumſpection vvhich a long indulgent fortune did require, he vvas grovvn not unvvilling, for his ovvn eaſe, to beſtovv handſomly upon another ſome part of the pains, and perhaps of the envie. [c. 1635 (date written), Henry Wotton, “Of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex; and George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham: Some Observations by Way of Parallel in the Time of Their Estates of Favour”, in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ. Or, A Collection of Lives, Letters, Poems; […], London: […] Thomas Maxey, for R[ichard] Marriot, G[abriel] Bedel, and T[imothy] Garthwait, published 1651, →OCLC, page 3:]
Adjectives inflected like intensive
priest-ridden,
unreposed,
evadible,
dissentious,
dissentient,
unforesighted,
egocentrical,
unephemeral,
unennobling,
mensuralist,
flocculent,
unseductive,
whoopsy,
whooshy,
surrogate,
Nicodian,
unrepaired,
prismatoidal,
renorenal,
unseducible, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)
Etymology
1. 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.
2. The noun is derived from the adjective. See: French Adjectives '
intensif', Latin Adjectives '
intēnsus'.