| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | forceful, severe; passionate |
| Synonyms: | acute, agonizing, all-consuming, ardent, biting, bitter, burning, close, concentrated, consuming, cutting, deep, diligent, eager, earnest, energetic, exaggerated, exceptional, excessive, exquisite, extraordinary, extreme, fanatical, fervent, fervid, fierce, forcible, full, great, hard, harsh, heightened, impassioned, intensified, intensive, keen, marked, piercing, powerful, profound, protracted, pungent, sharp, shrill, stinging, strained, strong, supreme, undue, vehement, violent, vivid, zealous |
| Notes: | emotions are intense while sustained application or attention is intensive; intense arises from within and intensive comes from outside (it is imposed or assumed) |
| Antonyms: | calm, dull, low-key, mild, moderate |
| Main Entry: | active |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very involved in activity |
| Synonyms: | aggressive, agile, alert, alive, animated, assiduous, bold, brisk, bustling, busy, chipper, daring, dashing, determined, dexterous, diligent, dynamic, eager, energetic, engaged, enlivened, enterprising, enthusiastic, eventful, fireball, forceful, forcible, fresh, frisky, hard-working, high-spirited, hyper, industrious, intense, inventive, jumping, keen, lively, nimble, on the move, perky, persevering, purposeful, pushing, quick, rapid, ready, resolute, sharp, sprightly, spry, whiz*, zealous |
| Notes: | active knowledge is the knowledge of a language which a user actively employs in speech or writing, as opposed to passive knowledge, which is what a person understands in what he/she hears or reads |
| Antonyms: | disinterested, idle, indifferent, lazy, quiescent, quiet |
| Main Entry: | acute |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | deeply perceptive |
| Synonyms: | astute, canny, clever, discerning, discriminating, incisive, ingenious, insightful, intense, intuitive, judicious, keen, observant, penetrating, perspicacious, piercing, quick-witted, sensitive, sharp, smart, subtle |
| Notes: | acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long duration acute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degrees chronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments |
| Antonyms: | dense, imperceptive, insensitive, obtuse, slow, stupid |
| Main Entry: | agonizing |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult and painful, suffering |
| Synonyms: | disturbing, excruciating, extreme, fierce, harrowing, intense, racking, struggling, tearing, tormenting, tortuous, torturing, vehement, violent |
| Main Entry: | almighty |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe |
| Synonyms: | awful, desperate, enormous, excessive, extreme, great, intense, loud, terrible |
| Antonyms: | weak |
| Main Entry: | ardent |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very enthusiastic |
| Synonyms: | agog, avid, blazing, burning, desirous, eager, fervent, fervid, fierce, fiery, horny*, hot*, hungry, impassioned, intense, keen, lovey-dovey, lusty, passionate, spirited, thirsty, vehement, warm, zealous |
| Antonyms: | cold, cold-blooded, cool, dispassionate, frigid, indifferent, lukewarm, unenthusiastic |
| Main Entry: | avid |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | enthusiastic |
| Synonyms: | ardent, athirst, avaricious, breathless, covetous, desirous, devoted, dying to, eager, fanatical, fervent, gotta have, grasping, greedy, hungry, impatient, insatiable, intense, keen, passionate, rapacious, ravenous, thirsty, voracious, zealous |
| Antonyms: | dispassionate, indifferent, unenthusiastic |
| Main Entry: | bad |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe |
| Synonyms: | disastrous, distressing, grave, harsh, intense, painful, serious, terrible |
| Notes: | badly is an adverb to describe an activity; bad is an adjective to describe a condition or state |
| Main Entry: | bitter |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | hostile, nasty |
| Synonyms: | acrimonious, alienated, antagonistic, begrudging, biting, caustic, crabby, divided, embittered, estranged, fierce, freezing, hateful, intense, irreconcilable, morose, rancorous, resentful, sardonic, severe, sore, sour, stinging, sullen, virulent, vitriolic, with chip on shoulder |
| Antonyms: | agreeable, content, genial, kind, nice, pleasant, sweet |