intently

adverb

in·​tent·​ly in-ˈtent-lē 

: 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

• amain
• arduously
• assiduously
• determinedly
• diligently
• doggedly
• hard
• hardly
• industriously
• intensely
• intensively
• laboriously
• mightily
• purposefully
• resolutely
• sedulously
• slavishly
• strenuously

Examples of intently in a Sentence

intently studied his notes just before the exam

Recent Examples on the Web

Focus intently on articulating your professional strengths, demonstrating your inherent potential and conveying your commitment to continuous learning. —Jack Kelly, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

One picture showed Lake listening intently to Musk speaking with Vivek Ramaswamy, the other person co-leading the advisory panel, at their side. —Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 18 Nov. 2024

Washington should work intently to cooperate with Beijing to tame rivalry and advance joint efforts to tackle global challenges. —Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2024

Baker seemed skeptical and confused by Republicans’ argument during Tuesday’s hearing, intently questioning lawyers for the RNC about their primary claim. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above