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extreme

[ ik-streem ]

/ ɪkˈstrim /

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See synonyms for: extreme / extremes on Thesaurus.com

adjective, ex·trem·er, ex·trem·est.

of a character or kind farthest removed from the ordinary or average: extreme measures.

utmost or exceedingly great in degree: extreme joy.

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

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

exceeding the bounds of moderation: extreme fashions.

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

last or final: extreme hopes.

Chiefly Sports. very dangerous or difficult: extreme skiing.

noun

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR extreme

2 greatest, highest; superlative.

3 ultimate, last, uttermost, remotest.

6 extravagant, immoderate, excessive, fanatical, uncompromising, unreasonable.

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OPPOSITES FOR extreme

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VIDEO FOR EXTREME

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There are some words that just make things seem less reliable and trustworthy. So why do we use them?

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QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of extreme

1425–75; late Middle English <Latin extrēmus, superlative of exterus “outward.” See exterior

synonym study for extreme

6. See radical.

OTHER WORDS FROM extreme

ex·treme·ness, nouno·ver·ex·treme, adjectivequa·si-ex·treme, adjectivesu·per·ex·treme, adjective

su·per·ex·treme·ly, adverbsu·per·ex·treme·ness, nounun·ex·treme, adjective

Words nearby extreme

extraversion, extravert, extra-virgin, Extremadura, extremal, extreme, extreme fighting, extremely, extremely high frequency, extremely low frequency, extreme programming

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use extreme in a sentence

The co-founder also stressed that most of Public’s users find its service organically, implying that the startup’s marketing costs have not been extreme, nor its growth artificially boosted.
Robinhood’s pain is Public’s gain as VCs rush to give it more money|Mary Ann Azevedo|February 11, 2021|TechCrunch
The Crosby-Malkin Penguins do have a history of extreme late-season surges.
Can The Pittsburgh Penguins Save Their Season?|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|February 11, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
In extreme cases, you can end up with a single person shouldering the burden of many hands — very unfair.
‘Chronically understaffed’: Confessions of an agency exec on the cost of online advertising’s Covid growth|Seb Joseph|February 11, 2021|Digiday
I think that the problem is that in some cases, not in those extreme cases, there’s speech that one person might say is legitimate and should be up, but others say it should be taken down.
Twenty-Six Words Created the Internet. What Will It Take to Save It?|Stephen Engelberg|February 9, 2021|ProPublica

Mars is substantially more complicated, with an atmosphere that distributes heat and makes the temperature extremes far more moderate, plus orbital wobbles that ensure seasonal changes in temperature.
Mapping the ice on Mars that could support future missions|John Timmer|February 9, 2021|Ars Technica
Investigators will focus on whether the sudden emergency was so extreme that no degree of pilot skill would have helped.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He was part of an extreme, racialized white faction in the Louisiana state house that was clearly dead-set against honoring King.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the most extreme cases, it allows for the extrajudicial killing of black people without consequence.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nor should we ever assume that weather alone, however extreme, should be fatal to a commercial flight.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one likes it when their sandcastle is knocked over, but his reaction is a bit, err, extreme.
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?|Candida Moss|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Practise gliding in the form of inflection, or slide, from one extreme of pitch to another.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
As a rule, however, even in the case of extreme varieties, a careful examination of the specimen will enable it to be identified.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Nothing but an extreme love of truth could have hindered me from concealing this part of my story.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
It stands at one extreme of our currency, with a dollar of gold set aside behind each dollar of paper.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips

British Dictionary definitions for extreme

extreme

/ (ɪkˈstriːm) /

adjective

being of a high or of the highest degree or intensityextreme cold; extreme difficulty

exceeding what is usual or reasonable; immoderateextreme behaviour

very strict, rigid, or severe; drastican extreme measure

(prenominal) farthest or outermost in directionthe extreme boundary

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

noun

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

(often plural) either of the two limits or ends of a scale or range of possibilitiesextremes of temperature

maths

the first or last term of a series or a proportion
a maximum or minimum value of a function

logic the subject or predicate of the conclusion of a syllogism

Derived forms of extreme

extremeness, noun

Word Origin for extreme

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

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′ ]

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.

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.