Describing Intensity: English Vocabulary List

showing the intensity or greatness of something

"The silence is profound."

"The profound sadness she felt after losing her grandmother stayed with her for many months."

very strong or intense

"The storm was fierce."

"The fierce lion roared loudly and the smaller animals ran away in fear."

exceeding reasonable limits or going beyond what is considered appropriate or moderate

"His drinking is immoderate."

"The immoderate consumption of alcohol at the party made several guests sick and they went home early."

to make something more intense or to enhance its strength or power

"Intensate the flavor."

"The artist used vibrant pigments to intensate the emotional impact of the painting, making the scene feel more powerful."

to lessen something's seriousness, severity, or painfulness

"We must mitigate the environmental damage."

"The company took immediate steps to mitigate the damage caused by the data breach by notifying affected customers and offering free credit monitoring."

to reduce the intensity of something

"Tone down your criticism slightly."

"The speaker was asked to tone down his aggressive rhetoric because it was making some members of the audience uncomfortable."

to make something less intense or to reduce its vitality

"The carpet will deaden the room's noise."

"The thick curtains helped to deaden the noise from the busy street outside so the baby could sleep peacefully."

to decrease or reduce the intensity, scope, or severity of something

"Police tried to de-escalate it."

"The leaders met to de-escalate the conflict before it turned into a full-scale war."