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:
In August's print edition of Vogue, a Guess advert features a flawless blonde model showing off a striped maxi dress and a floral playsuit from the brand's summer collection.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025
She told Wiig that the jackets were not all that special anymore, adding, “They basically hand those out to everybody like free maxi pads.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2024
“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
The so-called black embellished mesh backless high neck maxi dress is listed for $125 on the PrettyLittleThing website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2023
She gives me enough maxi pads to last me the next two months.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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
Do the maxis know something the others don’t?
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2022
The maxis continued buying Bitcoin even after its price plummeted to an 18-month low of roughly $20,000 in June.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
Bitcoin maxis do not want to talk about cryptocurrencies or Web3.
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
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.
