intensity

[in-ten-si-tee]

noun

plural

intensities 

1. the quality or condition of being intense.

2. great energy, strength, concentration, vehemence, etc., as of activity, thought, or feeling.

   He went at the job with great intensity.

3. a high or extreme degree, as of cold or heat.

4. the degree or extent to which something is intense.

5. a high degree of emotional excitement; depth of feeling.

   The poem lacked intensity and left me unmoved.

   Synonyms: vigor, energy, emotion, passion

6. the strength or sharpness of a color due especially to its degree of freedom from admixture with its complementary color.

7. Physics.,  magnitude, as of energy or a force per unit of area, volume, time, etc.

8. Speech.

   1. the correlate of physical energy and the degree of loudness of a speech sound.

   2. the relative carrying power of vocal utterance.

intensity

/ ɪnˈtɛnsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being intense

2. extreme force, degree, or amount

3. physics

   1. a measure of field strength or of the energy transmitted by radiation See radiant intensity luminous intensity

   2. I. (of sound in a specified direction) the average rate of flow of sound energy, usually in watts, for one period through unit area at right angles to the specified direction

4. Also called: earthquake intensity. geology a measure of the size of an earthquake based on observation of the effects of the shock at the earth's surface. Specified on the Mercalli scale See Mercalli scale Richter scale

Other Word Forms

• overintensity noun
• superintensity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of intensity¹

First recorded in 1655–65; intense + -ity

Example Sentences

That comes as climate change ratchets up the frequency and intensity of heat waves.

From Los Angeles Times

And the Texas Oil and Gas Association announced in early August that drillers in the Permian Basin “slashed methane emission intensity by more than half in just two years.”

From Salon

Swiatek left the court between sets and returned full of intensity, again breaking immediately but this time consolidating with a hold.

From BBC

To have the kind of consistent intensity level that has wavered at times this season.

From Los Angeles Times

But where there are more options, the Dodgers believe, better production — and intensity — will follow.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• anxiety 
• concentration 
• depth 
• earnestness 
• emotion 
• energy 
• excitement 
• ferocity 
• fervor 
• fury 
• magnitude 
• power 
• severity 
• strength 
• tension 
• vigor