extreme

American  

[ik-streem] / ɪkˈstrim /

adjective

extremer, extremest

1. of a character or kind farthest removed from the ordinary or average.

   extreme measures.

2. utmost or exceedingly great in degree.

   extreme joy.

   Synonyms:

   superlative

3. farthest from the center or middle; outermost; endmost.

   the extreme limits of a town.

   Synonyms:

   uttermost, last, ultimate

4. farthest, utmost, or very far in any direction.

   an object at the extreme point of vision.

5. exceeding the bounds of moderation.

   extreme fashions.

6. going to the utmost or very great lengths in action, habit, opinion, etc..

   an extreme conservative.

   Synonyms:

   unreasonable, uncompromising, fanatical, excessive, immoderate, extravagant

   Antonyms:

   moderate

7. last or final.

   extreme hopes.

8. Chiefly Sports. very dangerous or difficult.

   extreme skiing.

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noun

• extremes
  plural

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.

3. the furthest or utmost length; an excessive length, beyond the ordinary or average.

   extremes in dress.

4. an extreme act, measure, condition, etc..

   the extreme of poverty.

5. Mathematics.

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

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

6. 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.

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

extreme British  

/ 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

3. very strict, rigid, or severe; drastic

   an extreme measure

4. (prenominal) farthest or outermost in direction

   the extreme boundary

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

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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

3. maths

   1. the first or last term of a series or a proportion

   2. a maximum or minimum value of a function

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

Synonym Usage

See radical.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• extremeness
  noun
• superextremeness
  noun
• overextreme
  adjective
• quasi-extreme
  adjective
• superextreme
  adjective
• unextreme
  adjective
• superextremely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• extremes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of extreme

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

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Explanation

Something extreme is far out, either in terms of distance or intensity. Extreme sports are wild or dangerous, and an extreme height is very high. When you talk about extreme things, you're talking about things that are very, very...something. An extreme point is the farthest distance from a place. Extreme eating is a type of contest — like hot dog-eating — in which people eat a freakish amount of food to compete with each other. An extreme biker is biking down dangerously steep mountain sides. Anything extreme is pushing the limits and taking things about as far as they can go.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extreme extremes extremer extremest

Swift was originally developed to investigate gamma-ray bursts, extraordinarily powerful flashes of high-energy radiation associated with some of the most extreme events in the cosmos.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

Uruguay has the highest suicide rate in Latin America and the pope may talk about mental health, particularly when visiting the Casavalle neighbourhood in Montevideo, notorious for high levels of poverty and extreme violence.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

“When that momentum starts to go against investors, particularly when there’s leverage involved, it can lead to what might seem like extreme selloffs,” said Mike Bell, head of market strategy at RBC BlueBay Asset Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

That name likely refers to the Russian group Muzhskoi Legion or "Male Legion", an ultra-right group with such extreme views it was banned by a Moscow court in 2021.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Now, of course, it would be easy for me to veer to the opposite extreme.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

“Mouse” examines the extremes of this unusual and intimate intergenerational dynamic with tender thoughtfulness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Higher prices caused by weather extremes are getting “more frequent … and extreme,” said Barchart’s Newsom.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

Now, researchers have identified something that falls between those two extremes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

This may seem to be uncomfortably topical in an era when the divide between extremes of poverty and wealth are much noted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Once our eyes adjusted we could make out lighter rectangles of grey on the far extremes of the space.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

For such persons as Lydia it has added dignity and joy to a woman's life, without the fever and disorganization which attend its extremer forms.

From The Mating of Lydia by Mrs. Humphry Ward

Theosophy in its extremer forms it cannot absorb at all.

From Modern Religious Cults and Movements by Gaius Glenn Atkins

The extremer the physical effort, the greater the strain on the inner or moral powers.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Robert Ezra Park

In other respects anarchism may be said to be but an extremer phase of socialism.

From Contemporary Socialism by John Rae

He professed to like my supernatural beliefs much better than the anti-supernatural views of the extremer portion of his brethren.

From Modern Skepticism: A Journey Through the Land of Doubt and Back Again A Life Story by Joseph Barker

The printing press, praised by Martin Luther as “God’s highest and extremest act of Grace,” led to the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation — and a century of bloody religious wars.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 20, 2016

Now even the extremest obscenities have lost their power to shock.

From The Guardian ● May 23, 2013

The President-elect said he hoped the ceremony would be "one of the extremest in simplicity that we have ever had."

From Time Magazine Archive

“There will never be such a thing in my house,” said Wang Lung, in extremest horror.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

My purse, my person, my extremest means Lye all unlocked to your occasion.

From The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume II (of 2) by Florence A. Thomas Marshall

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Related Words

• absolute
• dire
• drastic
• egregious
• exaggerated
• exceptional
• excessive
• extraordinary
• harsh
• irrational
• outrageous
• radical
• remarkable
• severe
• sheer
• unreasonable
• unusual
• utter

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