intensify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make intense or more intense.
- Synonyms:
- concentrate, quicken, deepen
-
to make more acute; strengthen or sharpen.
- Synonyms:
- concentrate, quicken, deepen
-
Photography. to increase the density and contrast of (a negative) chemically.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
to make or become intense or more intense
-
(tr) to increase the density of (a photographic film or plate)
Synonym Usage
See aggravate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
de-intensifyverb
-
intensificationnoun
-
overintensifyverb
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self-intensifiedadjective
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overintensificationnoun
-
unintensifiedadjective
-
self-intensifyingadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has intensifiedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have intensifiedperfect
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is intensifyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are intensifyingprogressive
-
has been intensifyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been intensifyingperfect progressive
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am intensifyingprogressive 1st person singular
-
intensifyingparticiple
-
intensifiessingular 3rd person
Past
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had intensifiedperfect
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was intensifyingprogressive singular
-
had been intensifyingperfect progressive
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were intensifyingprogressive plural
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intensifiedparticiple
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intensifiedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of intensify
Explanation
To intensify is to increase the intensity, force, or power of something. If you snap a selfie and the colors aren't intense enough, you may be able to intensify them with a photo editor. You can see the word "intense" in intensify, which clues you in to the meaning of the verb. When you make something more intense, you intensify it — make it more of whatever it is. Believe it or not, a pinch of salt can actually intensify the sweetness of the sugar in a cake. It makes it even sweeter. Storm chasers never know whether a tornado will continue to intensify or begin to abate as they approach — and the difference could mean life or death for them.
Vocabulary lists containing intensify
Power Suffix: -fy
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A Long Way Gone
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"What Is the Horror Genre?" Vocabulary from the literary criticism
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The nearly 10-minute sequence used handheld camerawork to intensify the stakes.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
But she delivered a typically combative performance that will intensify questions over a potential return to singles action at Wimbledon, which starts later in June.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
In practical terms, this can intensify the electric field inside the material and slow light down, squeezing electromagnetic energy into a very small volume and boosting light-matter interactions.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
Heat continues to intensify across many areas this bank holiday weekend.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
Someone’s elbow presses me to a wall, and I just stand and watch the pandemonium intensify.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
