English Reference

Word

intently

Phoneticsin·tent·ly

US/ˌɪnˈtɛntɫi/

UK/ɪntˈɛntli/

Definition

adv. to watch or listen very carefully and with great interest. You use this when you want to show that you are paying full attention to something.

adv. in a manner that shows great concentration or interest. Often used to describe the act of watching or listening with focused attention.

Examples

“She watched the birds intently from her window.”

“The students listened intently as the professor explained the complex theory for the first time.”

“He stood by the window, watching the storm intently, as if hoping to decipher the patterns of the wind before the clouds broke.”

Examples

simple

“She watched the birds intently from her window.”

contextual

“The students listened intently as the professor explained the complex theory for the first time.”

complex

“He stood by the window, watching the storm intently, as if hoping to decipher the patterns of the wind before the clouds broke.”

Real-World Examples

“One of the first bands I listened to was Queen because the house was filled with them.” Austin listens intently.”
The Guardian · 1 Sept 2026
“Jurors looked intently at the photos of Shakur’s body, which was bloated and had multiple chest wounds.”
The Guardian · 19 Aug 2026

Etymology

From intent + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/intently

English Reference