capital-intensive

adjective

cap·​i·​tal-in·​ten·​sive ˈka-pə-tᵊl- in-ˈten(t)-siv 

ˈkap-tᵊl-

: having a high capital cost per unit of output

especially : requiring greater expenditure in the form of capital than of labor

Examples of capital-intensive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This means that more capital-intensive businesses—such as manufacturing, construction and retail—have greater access to the federal government’s loan program. —Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

This is why, over the next five years, Aii plans to invest at least 20 factories annually to implement capital-intensive, technologically advanced climate solutions capable of delivering high-impact emissions reductions. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 12 May 2026

Currently, development is too capital-intensive; soft costs, permits and fees often reach 30% of project budgets, pricing out everyone but institutional developers. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

This is due to factors including capital-intensive development, long timelines for R&D, high complexity of regulations and safety, human resource requirements, and high technical failure rates. —Anis Uzzaman, Fortune, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for capital-intensive

• antihypertensive
• apprehensive
• coextensive
• comprehensive
• hypertensive
• hypotensive
• inexpensive
• inoffensive
• normotensive
• counteroffensive
• defensive
• expensive