Word: intently

Associations

"Intently" means to do something with great focus and attention. When someone does something intently, they are fully concentrating on it.

• Example 1: She listened intently to the teacher during the lesson. (This means she was paying very close attention to everything the teacher said.)
• Example 2: He watched the movie intently, not wanting to miss any details. (Here, it shows he was very focused on understanding the plot and characters.)
• Example 3: The dog stared intently at the squirrel in the tree. (This indicates the dog was very focused and alert, wanting to catch the squirrel.)

A synonym for "intently" is "carefully." The important difference is that "intently" suggests a strong focus or concentration, while "carefully" implies caution and precision. You might be careful while doing something, but you might not necessarily be very focused.

Substitution

Other words or phrases that could be used in place of "intently" include:

• "fervently": This means with great enthusiasm or passion, but it doesn't always imply attention.
• "attentively": This means paying close attention, similar to intently, but it can also suggest a more passive listening rather than an active engagement.
• "zealously": This indicates doing something with great energy or enthusiasm, which focuses more on passion rather than just attention.

Deconstruction

The word "intently" can be broken down into:

• Prefix: "in-" (not applicable in this case, as it doesn't function as a prefix here).
• Root: "tent" comes from the Latin "tendere," which means "to stretch." This relates to focusing or stretching one's mind to understand something.
• Suffix: "-ly" is a common suffix that turns an adjective into an adverb, meaning "in the manner of."

The history of "intent" in English relates back to the idea of stretching one's mental focus or purpose toward something.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when you needed to pay attention intently? What were you focusing on?
• How would your experience change if you listened to something indirectly instead of intently?
• In what situations do you think paying attention intently is important? Why?