intently

adverb

in·​tent·​ly in-ˈtent-lē How to pronounce intently (audio)
Synonyms of intently
: in an intent or concentrated manner : with great effort, attention, or concentration
Their eyes, when they look at you and listen intently, focus like laser beams.—Molly Haskell
He turned back to face her again and stared at her most intently.—Robert C. O'Brien

Synonyms of intently

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of intently in a Sentence

intently studied his notes just before the exam
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Burke appeared to show no visible emotion and stared intently at each photograph, continuing to look at them as they were displayed in the courtorom, PEOPLE previously reported. — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026 The footage shows the four royals intently following the final moments of the match and then bursting into a jubilant round of applause at the final whistle, hugging one another to celebrate the achievement of the team. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 15 July 2026 Kirk’s widow, Erika, clutched a tissue and watched intently as a person said to be Robinson ran across the roof. — Hannah Schoenbaum, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026 At the same time, Miles starts to notice a presence in his pictures, a woman in a raincoat (Kate Dickie) staring intently into the camera. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for intently

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intently was in the 15th century

Rhymes for intently

See All Rhymes for intently

Browse Nearby Words

intentive
intently
intentness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intently.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intently. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on intently

Nglish: Translation of intently for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of spindrift

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All