extremity

American  

[ik-strem-i-tee] / ɪkˈstrɛm ɪ ti /

noun

• extremities
  plural

1. the extreme or terminal point, limit, or part of something.

   Synonyms:

   boundary, border, verge, termination, end

2. a limb of the body.

3. Usually extremities. the end part of a limb, as a hand or foot.

   to experience cold in one's extremities.

4. Often extremities. a condition or circumstance of extreme need, distress, etc..

   to suffer the extremities of being poor.

5. the utmost or any extreme degree.

   the extremity of joy.

6. an extreme or extraordinary measure, act, etc..

   to go to any extremity to feed the children.

7. extreme nature or character.

   the extremity of his views on foreign trade.

8. Archaic. a person's last moment before death.

---

extremity British  

/ ɪkˈstrɛmɪtɪ /

noun

1. the farthest or outermost point or section; termination

2. the greatest or most intense degree

3. an extreme condition or state, as of adversity or disease

4. a limb, such as a leg, arm, or wing, or the part of such a limb farthest from the trunk

5. archaic (usually plural) a drastic or severe measure

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superextremity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• extremities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of extremity

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English word from Latin word extrēmitās. See extreme, -ity

Explanation

An extremity is a limb or appendage of the body, particularly the hands and feet. If the weather is cold, you have to be sure to protect your extremities from frostbite by wearing gloves, warm socks, and boots. The noun extremity also means the outermost point or part — the one that's farthest away. Nauset Light Beach on Cape Cod, for example, is the easternmost extremity in the state of Massachusetts. Extremity can also refer to the greatest degree, especially of an emotion or physical feeling. The extremity of the pain in your ankle might make you realize you should go to the emergency room for x-rays.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extremity extremities

On behalf of Bosh's next of kin, Mark Stewart KC said: "People might wonder and ask why it is that police officers who are armed do not shoot to injure by shooting an extremity."

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026

Bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2025

Guimarães and Lancaster give themselves fearlessly over to a story that is extreme but in a way that is true to the extremity of adolescence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2025

But she’s also the type of person whose extremity and selfishness make it easy for the audience to overlook the filmmaker’s ethically questionable choices, beginning with having Cunningham stand in for him.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2024

At the mention of dying, a surge of feeling had engulfed him, pushing him beyond anger into an extremity of bewilderment and disgust.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Also, your heart rate spikes, your blood pressure soars, the blood vessels in your extremities constrict to keep warm blood near your core and you begin to gasp involuntarily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Temperature readings can also be wrong if patient's extremities are cold.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

Tattoos dotted his extremities, including an anchor on his right leg with the words “I refuse to sink.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025

Which is to say that she has always been curious about the extremities of human behavior.

From New York Times ● Nov. 29, 2024

This the touch discovers in sensible bodies, whose extremities come within our reach; and the eye takes both from bodies and colours, whose boundaries are within its view.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• terminus