extreme

[ik-streem]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extreme 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.

Origin of extreme

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

Related formsex·treme·ness, nouno·ver·ex·treme, adjectivequa·si-ex·treme, adjectivesu·per·ex·treme, adjectivesu·per·ex·treme·ly, adverbsu·per·ex·treme·ness, nounun·ex·treme, adjective

Synonyms for extreme

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extreme ON THESAURUS.COM

2. greatest, highest; superlative. 3. ultimate, last, uttermost, remotest. 6. extravagant, immoderate, excessive, fanatical, uncompromising, unreasonable.

Synonym study

6. See radical.

Antonyms for extreme

6. moderate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for extreme

acute, severe, utmost, intense, unusual, excessive, harsh, remarkable, egregious, exaggerated, radical, irrational, exceptional, unreasonable, outrageous, extraordinary, dire, utter, drastic, sheer

Examples from the Web for extreme

Contemporary Examples of extreme

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
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
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
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
The grief in this house is extreme of course; this is a horror movie, after all.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook
Tim Teeman
December 19, 2014

Historical Examples of extreme

The consciousness of recent misconduct filled her with extreme dread.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
"Hum," remarked Uncle Peter, in a tone to be noticed for its extreme dryness.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
She was blind and paralyzed, and on the extreme verge of eternity.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
He was bothered, in a way, by the extreme mental caution of this fellow.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
The issue was, however, disappointing to him in the extreme.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for extreme

extreme

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 Formsextremeness, 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

Word Origin and History for extreme

adj.

early 15c., from Old French extreme (13c.), from Latin extremus "outermost, utmost, farthest, last," superlative of exterus (see exterior).

In English as in Latin, not always felt as a superlative, hence more extreme, most extreme (which were condemned by Johnson). The noun is first recorded 1540s, originally of the end of life, cf. Latin in extremis. Extreme unction preserves the sense of "last, latest" (15c.). Extremes "opposite ends of anything" is from 1550s.

extreme in Science

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.