in extremis
Americanadverb
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in extremity.
-
near death.
adverb
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in extremity; in dire straits
-
at the point of death
Etymology
Origin of in extremis
literally: in the furthest reaches
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.
And, in its own bloody way, MMA can be beautiful: humans in extremis, rising to the occasion, pushing past their own boundaries to accomplish the impossible under the most adverse of conditions.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
Bond holdings are concentrated in domestic pension funds and life insurers, and in extremis the BoJ could resume buying itself.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
“Warning Signs” promises to be even more of a nail-biter than Sierra’s debut, a deepening of her examination of families in extremis, which should earn it a top spot in readers’ TBR list.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
The past eight races have been Verstappen in extremis.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
Every planetary nebula is a token of a star in extremis.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
