Meanings
plural intensifiers
- That which intensifies.
- human sciencesA word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term.
1 more example
“Plus-” and “doubleplus-” are both intensifiers that replace words of different extremities, and the words very and extremely respectively. So words like great, excellent and horrible are rendered redundant in Newspeak, replaced by “plusgood”, “doubleplusgood” and “doubleplusungood” respectively. Note how “un-” has to follow the intensifier prefix.
2020 August 8, Zui, “Controlled Languages — Newspeak”, in The Language Closet
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From intensify + -er; from the most common use of such terms, to intensify an adjective.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan intensificador
- intensificadorthat which intensifies
Finnish vahvistin, intensifikaattori
- vahvistinthat which intensifies
- intensifikaattoria word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
- vahvistina chemical agent used to intensify the lights or shadows of a photograph
- valonvahvistina chemical agent used to intensify the lights or shadows of a photograph
- korjaina chemical agent used to intensify the lights or shadows of a photograph
French intensificateur
- intensificateurthat which intensifies
German Intensitätspartikel, Steigerungspartikel
- Intensitätspartikela word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
- Steigerungspartikela word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
Hungarian fokozószó, nyomatékosítószó
- fokozószóa word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
- nyomatékosítószóa word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
- nyomatékosítóa word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
- nyomósítószóa word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
- nyomósító szóa word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
Portuguese intensificador
- intensificadorthat which intensifies
Spanish intensificador
- intensificadorthat which intensifies
Swahili kisisitizi
- kisisitizia word or particle that heightens the intensity of meaning of a term
Cite this entry
intensifier. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intensifier
“intensifier.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intensifier. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intensifier,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intensifier.
Source: intensifier on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.