WordGarden.iointension
B1Pronunciation
UK
US
- /ɪntˈɛnʃən/
Meanings
Noun
the meaning or conceptual content of a term, contrasted with its extension
Beyond the definition
Intension is not about effort, and it is not the same as "intention." Even though the two words sound the same, they do very different jobs. Think of intension as the set of features that gives a word or idea its meaning. It is the inner definition of a concept, not the goal behind an action.
The word is mostly used in logic, philosophy, and linguistics. There, it refers to the qualities that make something what it is. People often confuse it with "intention," which means a plan or purpose, but intension stays focused on meaning and on the features a term includes.
Intension (spelled with an "s") refers to the collection of properties or qualities that constitute the meaning of a word or concept. It is often contrasted with its counterpart, "extension." To understand the difference, think of the word "planet." The intension of "planet" includes being a celestial body, orbiting a star, and having cleared its neighborhood of debris. The extension, on the other hand, is the actual list of objects: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and so on.
Let's look at the classic example of a "bachelor." The intension of the word is "unmarried adult male." This is the internal definition that must be met for the word to apply. It doesn't matter how many actual bachelors exist in the world; the intension remains the same because it is the concept's core identity.
It is important not to confuse this with "intention" (with a "t"). If you say, "My intention was to help," you are talking about your goal or purpose. You would rarely use intension in everyday conversation to describe your motives. Instead, you use it when you want to be precise about meaning, especially in formal discussion. By mastering this distinction, you can talk about language, logic, and abstract ideas more clearly, without mixing up a word's meaning with a person's purpose.
Examples
- 1
Semantics class
In our semantics class, we compared the intension of "dog" with its extension.
- Domainextension
the actual things a word applies to
- 2
Same reference
Two expressions can refer to the same object but have different intensions.
- 3
Legal definition
The intension of a legal term may change when lawmakers add a new condition to its definition.
See also
Similar
- connotation
- sense
- conceptual content
Shades of meaning
- definition
- semantic content
Contrast
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- intension and extension
- the intension of a term
- intension of a concept
Word family
- intensional
- intensionally
Explore
- denotation
- possible worlds semantics
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- intensionnoun