# intense

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɪnˈtɛns/ · frequency rank #3,698

## Definitions
1. Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
2. Of a thing: possessing some characteristic to an extreme or very high or strong degree.
3. Of feelings, thoughts, etc.: strongly focused; ardent, deep, earnest, passionate.
4. Of a person: very emotional or passionate.
5. Under tension; tightly drawn; strained, stressed, tense.

## Etymology
From Late Middle English intens, intense (“ardent, fervent; extreme, great, intense”), borrowed from Old French intense (modern French intense), or directly from its etymon Latin intēnsus (“strained, stretched tight; intense; attentive; violent; (rare) eager, intent”), the perfect passive participle of intendō (“to stretch out, strain”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + tendō (“to extend, stretch”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to extend, stretch”)).

## Easily confused with
- **intent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intense-vs-intent)
- **inverse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intense-vs-inverse)
- **intersex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intense-vs-intersex)
- **intensive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intense-vs-intensive)
- **intensely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intense-vs-intensely)
- **intend** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intend-vs-intense)
- **immense** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/immense-vs-intense)
- **incense** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/incense-vs-intense)
- **intended** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/intended-vs-intense)
- **incensed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/incensed-vs-intense)

## Common misspellings (10)
`inetnse`, `inntense`, `intenes`, `intennse`, `intensse`, `intesne`, `intnese`, `inttense`, `itnense`, `nitense`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/intense