extremely
Americanadverb
adverb
-
to the extreme; exceedingly
-
(intensifier)
I behaved extremely badly
Usage
What does extremely mean? Extremely means to a very great degree—exceedingly. Instead of saying I’m very very tired, you could say I’m extremely tired. Extremely is the adverb form of the adjective extreme, which means of the highest degree or intensity. Extremely is almost always used to modify (describe) adjectives and almost never verbs. It emphasizes or intensifies the meaning of the adjective and indicates that its level is far beyond the ordinary. Example: At some times during the winter, it gets so extremely cold here that it’s dangerous to go outside for more than a minute.
Etymology
Origin of extremely
Explanation
Extremely is a word that emphasizes the intensity of whatever it is you're talking about. If you say you're extremely angry, that word alone tells me I better not mess with you. Extremely comes from the word extreme, which means great, severe, or exceptional. If you climb to extreme heights on a mountain, you've climbed extremely high. Use extremely to let people know that what you're talking about exceeds or goes beyond the norm. A joke that's not just funny, but extremely funny, is one that might have you gasping to catch your breath from laughing so hard.
Vocabulary lists containing extremely
List 3
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List 2
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ly
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I wrote back: “I am extremely put off by the fakery of this whole exercise, and I question the ethics of a professor’s allowing his name to be put on a ghostwritten piece.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Earlier methods also produced muonium atoms traveling at different speeds and in many directions, making them poorly suited for extremely precise gravity measurements.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
He said that with those bonds now trading near face value, their valuations will be extremely sensitive even to small shifts in interest rates.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Justice secretary Neil Gray said Petrie's crimes were "extremely disturbing"
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Because they predate written records of their use and were not known to exist until after the date of the Mary Rose’s sinking, the navigational instruments that were excavated are also extremely important.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
