intensive
requiring concentrated effort or attention
Needing a lot of work, energy, or attention in a short time, or focused strongly on one small area or group.
an intensive [course/training/search/care]
- She signed up for an intensive Spanish course that meets five hours a day.
- After an intensive search, the rescue team finally located the missing hikers.
- He spent two weeks in intensive care following the surgery.
- The company launched an intensive marketing campaign before the product release.
- Modern agriculture often relies on intensive farming methods to increase yields.
- I am taking an intensive English course this summer.
- The police began an intensive search for the child.
- My grandfather is in intensive care at the hospital.
- They had intensive training before they started the new job.
- The farmer uses intensive farming to grow more food on less land.
requiring a lot of resources
Describes work or industry that needs a lot of one thing, such as workers, money, or energy, compared to other things.
[resource]-intensive [process/industry/work]
- Manufacturing cars is a capital-intensive business that requires huge investments in machinery.
- Textile production used to be very labor-intensive before much of it was automated.
- Data centers are extremely energy-intensive facilities.
- We want to move away from resource-intensive models of growth.
- Software development is more knowledge-intensive than material-intensive.
- Making steel is a very energy-intensive process.
- Growing this crop is labor-intensive because many workers are needed.
- Building airplanes is a capital-intensive industry.
- The company wants to reduce its resource-intensive activities.
- Today many jobs are knowledge-intensive, not factory work.
emphasizing another word (grammar)
In grammar, used for a word or form that makes another word stronger in meaning, but does not change the basic idea.
an intensive [pronoun/adverb/construction]
- In the sentence "I did it myself," "myself" is an intensive pronoun.
- Some grammars treat "do" in "I do like it" as an intensive auxiliary.
- The word "indeed" can function as an intensive adverb in formal writing.
- Teachers sometimes highlight intensive forms to show how writers add emphasis without changing meaning.
- In this language, there is an intensive construction that doubles the verb to show emphasis.
- "Myself" is an intensive pronoun in the sentence "I cleaned the house myself."
- The word "really" is often used as an intensive adverb in English.
- Some grammar books talk about intensive forms that only add emphasis.
- We learned how intensive pronouns are different from reflexive pronouns.
- The teacher gave examples of intensive constructions in English.
word or affix used for emphasis
In grammar, a word or ending that makes another word stronger in meaning but does not change the basic idea.
an intensive [in a clause/after a noun]
- In some Semitic languages, special verb patterns function as intensives.
- The grammar notes list "indeed" and "very" as common intensives in English.
- Scholars disagree on whether this prefix should be analyzed as an intensive or as part of the root.
- The word "own" in "her own car" can be treated as an intensive.
- Old English often used repetition of a word as an intensive.
- Some languages use a special verb form as an intensive.
- Words like "very" and "indeed" can be intensives.
- The teacher said that "self" is an intensive in this form of the verb.
- In this sentence, the intensive only adds emphasis.
- The book gives a list of common intensives in English.
- Base: intensive
capital-intensive
1needing a lot of money investment
Describes business or industry that needs a lot of money for machines, buildings, or technology.
- Building power plants is a capital-intensive activity.
- The airline industry is highly capital-intensive.
- Car manufacturing is more capital-intensive than clothing production.
energy-intensive
1using a lot of energy
Describes processes or industries that use a lot of power, gas, or electricity for each product they make.
- Steel production is very energy-intensive.
- Governments want to reduce energy-intensive activities to cut emissions.
- The factory is trying to replace its most energy-intensive machines.
information-intensive
1processing a lot of information
Describes activities or industries that work with a lot of information or data.
- Banking is an information-intensive sector.
- Modern logistics has become highly information-intensive.
- Running an online platform is very information-intensive.
intensive care
1special care for critical patients
Very close, continuous medical care for very sick or badly injured people in a hospital.
- He was moved to intensive care after his heart attack.
- Her newborn son spent three days in intensive care.
- Because the accident was serious, she went straight into intensive care.
intensive course
1course with very heavy schedule
A class or study program with many hours in a short time, usually to learn something quickly.
- She took an intensive course in English over the summer.
- The university offers an intensive course for new employees.
- I finished an intensive course that lasted only two weeks but met every day.
intensive farming
1high-input modern agriculture
A way of farming that uses a lot of workers, chemicals, or machines on a small area of land to produce more food.
- Intensive farming has greatly increased food production.
- Critics say intensive farming can damage the environment.
- The region is known for intensive farming of vegetables in greenhouses.
intensive training
1very demanding training period
Training that is very hard or has many hours in a short time.
- New staff go through two weeks of intensive training.
- The athletes are in intensive training before the competition.
- She completed an intensive training program for software developers.
knowledge-intensive
1needing a lot of expert knowledge
Describes work or industry that depends a lot on people with high skills and education, not on machines or simple physical work.
- Software development is a knowledge-intensive business.
- Many rich countries now focus on knowledge-intensive services.
- Universities often support knowledge-intensive start-ups.
labor-intensive
1needing a lot of workers
Describes work or industry that needs many workers compared to machines or money; in British English usually spelled "labour-intensive."
- Harvesting these crops is very labor-intensive.
- The company moved its most labor-intensive production overseas.
- Tourism is a labor-intensive sector that creates many jobs.
resource-intensive
1using many different resources heavily
Describes activities that use a lot of money, energy, materials, or other resources.
- Traditional mining is extremely resource-intensive.
- We need to move away from resource-intensive business models.
- The project is too resource-intensive for a small company.
intensive care unit
1hospital ward for critical patients
A special part of a hospital where very sick or badly hurt people get intensive care; often called the ICU.
- The hospital's intensive care unit is full after the bus crash.
- She works as a nurse in the intensive care unit.
- Visitors are only allowed into the intensive care unit for a short time each day.
intensive care unit
2Hospital critical care department
A special part of a hospital for very sick patients who need constant care.
- He was transferred to the intensive care unit after surgery.
- The hospital's intensive care unit is fully equipped.