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Synonyms

extremism

American  
[ik-stree-miz-uhm] / ɪkˈstri mɪz əm /

noun

  1. a tendency or disposition to go to extremes or an instance of going to extremes, especially in political matters.

    leftist extremism; the extremism of the Nazis.

Etymology

Origin of extremism

First recorded in 1860–65; extreme + -ism

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.

“One Battle After Another” is a satirical action-thriller with an intense and timely exploration of American extremism that stars DiCaprio as a retired revolutionary forced back into action.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

One morning we were discussing two topics: the influence of big money on football, and Islamist extremism.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

First, the Syrian Kurds are, like their Iraqi Peshmerga cousins, an exception in a region too often addicted to criminal extremism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

When that level of single-minded intensity is brought to reforming the physical body, Campbell said, it can set the conditions for other kinds of extremism.

From Slate • Jan. 22, 2026

I was slightly giddy with the force of his personality but the extremism of the offer was appealing as well.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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.