intensity
Pluralintensities
- 1A measure of how strong or powerful something is.
Like turning a radio's volume up: the higher it goes, the stronger the sound.
The intensity of the storm surprised everyone on the coast.
She trained with such intensity that her coach told her to rest.
Similarstrength, level, degree, severity, force
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- 2The state of being very strong, deep, or full of feeling.
Like a fire that burns hot and bright, not just a small flame.
The intensity in his eyes made her step back.
The music had an emotional intensity that moved people to tears.
Similarpassion, force, power, fervor, fierceness
- 3A measure of how strongly an earthquake shakes the ground and damages buildings in a place.
Like a loud noise that feels overwhelming nearby but faint from far away.
Geologists recorded a higher intensity near the fault than in towns farther away.
The earthquake's intensity dropped sharply with distance from the center.
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- 4How much wave energy passes through a given area each second.
Like sunlight feeling hotter on a small spot through a magnifying glass.
The intensity of the laser beam was measured in watts per square meter.
Sound intensity gets weaker as you move away from the speaker.
Similarirradiance
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- 5In light science, a general word for how much light something gives out or takes in.
Turn up the lamp's intensity until the sensor reads full scale.
Photographers control the intensity of the light to set the exposure.
Similarbrightness
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- 6In astronomy, the brightness of light coming from a surface in one direction.
Astronomers compared the intensity of the nebula at different wavelengths.
The surface intensity of the star stayed the same no matter how far away the telescope was.
Similarradiance
Note
Practice
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Origin
From the word "intense" plus "-ity".