maxi
noun
maxi
1 American
[mak-see]
/ ˈmæk si /
maxi-
2
American
maxi
British
/ ˈmæksɪ /
adjective
noun
Usage
What does maxi- mean? Maxi- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “very large” or "of great scope or intensity." It is occasionally used in a variety of everyday terms, especially in fashion. Maxi- comes from a shortening of maximal or maximum, meaning "greatest possible." The word maximum comes from Latin maximus, the superlative form of magnus, meaning "great" or "large." This Latin word is also related to the root of the terms maxim, "an expression of a general truth or principle," and major “greater in size.” Learn more at our entries for maxim and major.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of maxi1
1965–70; shortening of maxiskirt, or independent use of maxi-
Origin of maxi-2
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.
See Examples For:
Kaley G.M., the 20-year-old plaintiff, arrived in court just before 10 a.m. wearing the same rose-colored maxi dress she’d donned to testify in February.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
But she gives tartan a fresh look by using it in modern outfits like maxi dresses and matching sets, and by layering tartan skirts over jeans.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
“We tell folks if you’re soaking through a maxi pad, two, in an hour to two hours, they should seek help.”
From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2024
Ms. Tillman, the aspiring equine veterinarian from Detroit, eventually replaced the helmet she’d stuffed with maxi pads with a new one, cutting pieces of the lining out until it nestled comfortably on her head.
From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2023
The maxi would be cotton, of course, sewn by village women in the Sundarbans who fiercely protect our Bengal tigers from poachers.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
And as the minis proliferate, maxi- audiences are becoming harder to woo.
From Time Magazine Archive
Rival super maxis Andoo Comanche and LawConnect remained neck-and-neck in the early hours of Wednesday as the fleet began to pass Eden on the New South Wales south coast before heading into Bass Strait.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 26, 2023
In the weeks since the bankruptcy filings of FTX, the associated hedge fund Alameda Research, and other entities, Bitcoin maxis of various stripes have tried to tilt the narrative in their favor.
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2022
But in general, the speaker lineup is heavy on maxis.
From The Verge ● Apr. 28, 2022
“Ethereum maxis, people who believe in ‘the flippening’, believe it will come very soon,” said Acheson at Genesis Trading.
From Reuters ● Apr. 26, 2022
Traditionalists contend that even though maxis have step-through frames and small wheels — the hallmarks of a scooter — they are in a class all their own.
From New York Times ● Dec. 27, 2018
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.
