intensity
/ɪnˈtɛnsɪti/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.14 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Time-averaged energy flux (the ratio of average power to the area through which the power "flows"); irradiance.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The severity of an earthquake in terms of its effects on the earth's surface, and buildings. The value depends on the distance from the epicentre, and is not to be confused with the magnitude.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "“It is hard. And there is a level of viciousness that I was not expecting. I was not expecting the intensity of this experience, but this isn’t supposed to be easy. My father and this administration intends to be transformative, and we want to do big, bold things and we’re looking to change the status quo. So I didn’t expect it to be easy. I think some of the distractions and some of the ferocity was — I was a little blindsided by on a personal level,” she said."
- "The painting’s dislocated, unformed features are the very opposite of the hard, painted dolls of the other portrait, and, where they are dead and ready to topple, this unknown man’s eyes are full of intensity and life."
- "Fagus sylvatica (European beech) and Acer saccharum (sugar maple, from North America) are very tolerant of deep shade, while Betula spp. (birches) and Populus spp. (poplars) grow best under high light intensities."
Etymology
From intense + -ity. Cf. also Medieval Latin intensitas.