intensity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the quality of being very strong or serious in your feelings or actions.
the quality of being intense; extreme force, energy, or feeling. Uncountable in this abstract sense.
Simple“The intensity of her gaze made him feel a bit nervous.”
In context“The actors performed with such raw intensity that the audience remained silent for several minutes after the curtain fell.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
the measurable amount of something, like heat, light, or sound.
the measurable amount of a property, such as force, brightness, or a magnetic field.
Simple“The doctor adjusted the intensity of the light during the eye exam.”
In context“As the storm approached the coast, the wind reached an intensity that the local infrastructure was not designed to withstand.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
a measure of how much damage an earthquake causes in a specific place.
the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effects on the earth's surface and human structures, distinct from its magnitude.
Simple“The intensity of the shaking was much higher near the coast than inland.”
In context“Seismologists mapped the earthquake's intensity across the province to determine which areas required the most urgent structural reinforcements.”
UsageOften used with the Modified Mercalli scale.
PitfallThe earthquake had an intensity of 7.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.0.Magnitude measures the energy at the source; intensity measures the actual shaking and damage at a specific location.
Synonyms
“He was describing how individuals who are normally preoccupied with their personal concerns get swept up into a kind of electric, communal intensity.”
“There’s bone-crushing intensity in this striking recording of the original version of the Bruckner’s third.”
From intense + -ity. Cf. also Medieval Latin intensitas.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.