What does intensiveness mean?
Intensiveness means the quality of being intense: strong, concentrated, forceful, or highly demanding. It is commonly used for activities and processes, as in “the intensiveness of the training,” and can also describe the emotional or visual force of an experience. The word is more formal and less common than “intensity,” and it often emphasizes the concentrated character of something rather than simply measuring its strength. For example, one might question the intensiveness of a demanding preparation programme or describe the intensiveness of a dramatic scene. Although it can function as a count noun in careful writing, most speakers would usually choose “intensity” when brevity is important. The term is related to “intense,” “intensify,” and “intensive,” all of which derive from the Latin word intensus, originally associated with stretching or intensification.
nounThe quality or degree of being intense; the strength, concentration, or force of a process, activity, or experience.
- The quality or degree of being intense, especially the concentrated effort or force characteristic of an activity or process.
- A high degree of emotional, physical, or visual force.
"The intensiveness of the training prepares participants for the demands of the event."
"The intensiveness of the negotiations kept all the delegates at the table."
"The film gained an unusual intensiveness from its stark photography and rapid editing."
The plural is grammatically regular but is rarely needed in ordinary usage.
"The guide compares different approaches according to their relative intensivenesses."
Intensiveness enters the language from Latin intensus, meaning “stretched,” an apt image for something pushed to a high degree.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does intensiveness come from?
The word ultimately comes through French from Latin intensus, meaning “stretched” or “intense.” That form was related to intendere, “to stretch out,” the same broad root that also produced words such as “tension” and “tendency.” English developed several derivatives from this source, including “intense,” “intensify,” and “intensive,” from which “intensiveness” was formed.
How intensiveness is actually used
A formal or somewhat literary noun, less common in everyday speech than “intensity.” It is especially appropriate when the concentrated or demanding character of an activity is being discussed.
Easily confused with intensiveness
Intensity usually names the degree of force or concentration itself, whereas intensiveness more often describes the quality of being intense.
Intensive is an adjective describing concentrated or highly demanding activity, while intensiveness is the noun for that quality.