extreme

[ ik-streem ]
See synonyms for: extremeextremes on Thesaurus.com

adjective,ex·trem·er, ex·trem·est.
  1. of a character or kind farthest removed from the ordinary or average: extreme measures.

  2. utmost or exceedingly great in degree:extreme joy.

  1. farthest from the center or middle; outermost; endmost: the extreme limits of a town.

  2. farthest, utmost, or very far in any direction: an object at the extreme point of vision.

  3. exceeding the bounds of moderation: extreme fashions.

  4. going to the utmost or very great lengths in action, habit, opinion, etc.: an extreme conservative.

  5. last or final: extreme hopes.

  6. Chiefly Sports. very dangerous or difficult: extreme skiing.

noun
  1. the utmost or highest degree, or a very high degree: cautious to an extreme.

  2. one of two things as remote or different from each other as possible: the extremes of joy and grief.

  1. the furthest or utmost length; an excessive length, beyond the ordinary or average: extremes in dress.

  2. an extreme act, measure, condition, etc.: the extreme of poverty.

  3. Mathematics.

    • the first or the last term, as of a proportion or series.

    • a relative maximum or relative minimum value of a function in a given region.

  4. Logic. the subject or the predicate of the conclusion of a syllogism; either of two terms that are separated in the premises and brought together in the conclusion.

  5. Archaic. the utmost point, or extremity, of something.

Origin of extreme

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin extrēmus “most outward,” superlative of exterus “outward”; see exterior

synonym study For extreme

6. See radical.

Other words for extreme

Opposites for extreme

Other words from extreme

  • ex·treme·ness, noun
  • o·ver·ex·treme, adjective
  • qua·si-ex·treme, adjective
  • su·per·ex·treme, adjective
  • su·per·ex·treme·ly, adverb
  • su·per·ex·treme·ness, noun
  • un·ex·treme, adjective

Words Nearby extreme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use extreme in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for extreme

extreme

/ (ɪkˈstriːm) /


adjective
  1. being of a high or of the highest degree or intensity: extreme cold; extreme difficulty

  2. exceeding what is usual or reasonable; immoderate: extreme behaviour

  1. very strict, rigid, or severe; drastic: an extreme measure

  2. (prenominal) farthest or outermost in direction: the extreme boundary

  3. meteorol of, relating to, or characteristic of a continental climate

noun
  1. the highest or furthest degree (often in the phrases in the extreme, go to extremes)

  2. (often plural) either of the two limits or ends of a scale or range of possibilities: extremes of temperature

  1. maths

    • the first or last term of a series or a proportion

    • a maximum or minimum value of a function

  2. logic the subject or predicate of the conclusion of a syllogism

Origin of extreme

1
C15: from Latin extrēmus outermost, from exterus on the outside; see exterior

Derived forms of extreme

  • extremeness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for extreme

extreme

[ ĭk-strēm ]


  1. Either the first or fourth term of a proportion of four terms. In the proportion 23 = 46, the extremes are 2 and 6. Compare mean.

  2. A maximum or minimum value of a function.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.