Intensely means with extreme force, strength, or concentration. When you focus intensely on a puzzle, you block out everything else and pour all your attention into solving it. When the sun beats down intensely on a summer day, its heat feels almost overwhelming.

The word describes doing something with maximum effort or experiencing something at a high level. A runner training intensely pushes hard in every practice. A suspenseful movie scene might show characters staring at each other intensely, their faces tight with emotion. Weather forecasters might warn that a storm will be intensely cold, meaning much colder than usual.

Intensely often suggests something beyond normal. You might enjoy a book, but if you're intensely interested in it, you can barely put it down. Someone working intensely is completely absorbed in what they're doing, giving it their full force and commitment.