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

Monet also claimed that his sole interest was the “enveloppe” of light that encircled his subjects, even though he chose those subjects with extreme care, always with history and the art market in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Although the findings come from computer simulations rather than direct observations of white dwarfs growing to these extreme masses, they offer a possible evolutionary pathway for stars that exceed the traditional Chandrasekhar limit.

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

“We’re living with more extreme droughts and floods, and a growing need to store water during wet periods. Sites is built for exactly that,” Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Charlie never figured out why she was willing in the extreme to bend Morgan Stanley’s usual standards to do business with Cornwall.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The art of papermaking is an ancient form, and as with any medium artists have pushed it to technological and aesthetic extremes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

More frequent and intense weather extremes are expected as a result of climate change, with Wales facing the prospect of wetter, wilder winters more often.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

She was accustomed to the kind of fiery preaching that the church offered, the extremes of showmanship and drama, but one day, she thought, they crossed a line.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

But even the French Revolution had its humors; and as the English Puritan Revolution gathered head and the extremer sectaries pressed to the front—Quakers, New Lights, Fifth Monarchy Men, Ranters, etc.—its grotesque sides came uppermost.

From Brief History of English and American Literature by Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers

It has as yet been practised by no poet at all approaching the first class, except Verlaine, and not by him in its extremer forms.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various

It is a mistake to take the extremer forms of this reaction too seriously, although at the present time this is very frequently done.

From Among Famous Books by John Kelman

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 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

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

Some new means of supply must be discovered, and the extremest extension of ecclesiastical centralization and papal absolutism has always been recognised at Rome as the most productive source of revenue.

From Letters From Rome on the Council by Johann Joseph Ignaz von D?llinger

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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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