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• ultra
  ultra

  adjective

  going beyond what is usual or ordinary; excessive; extreme.
• ultra-
  ultra-

  a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, with the basic meaning “on the far side of, beyond.” In relation to the base to which it is prefixed, ultra- has the senses “located beyond, on the far side of ” (ultramontane; ultraviolet ), “carrying to the furthest degree possible, on the fringe of ” (ultraleft; ultramodern ), “extremely” (ultralight ); nouns to which it is added denote, in general, objects, properties, phenomena, etc., that surpass customary norms, or instruments designed to produce or deal with such things (ultramicroscope; ultrasound; ultrastructure ).

ultra

¹ American  

[uhl-truh] / ˈʌl trə /

adjective

1. going beyond what is usual or ordinary; excessive; extreme.

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noun

ultras plural

1. an extremist, as in politics, religion, fashion, etc.

2. Military. Ultra, the British code name for intelligence gathered by decrypting German wireless communications enciphered on the Enigma machine during World War II.

ultra- ² American  

1. a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, with the basic meaning “on the far side of, beyond.” In relation to the base to which it is prefixed, ultra- has the senses “located beyond, on the far side of ” (ultramontane; ultraviolet ), “carrying to the furthest degree possible, on the fringe of ” (ultraleft; ultramodern ), “extremely” (ultralight ); nouns to which it is added denote, in general, objects, properties, phenomena, etc., that surpass customary norms, or instruments designed to produce or deal with such things (ultramicroscope; ultrasound; ultrastructure ).

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ultra ¹ British  

/ ˈʌltrə /

adjective

1. extreme or immoderate, esp in beliefs or opinions

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noun

1. an extremist

ultra- ² British  

prefix

1. beyond or surpassing a specified extent, range, or limit

   ultramicroscopic

2. extreme or extremely

   ultramodern

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ultras
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ultra¹

Independent use of ultra-, or shortening of words prefixed with it

Origin of ultra-²

From Latin ultrā (adverb and preposition) “on the far side,” derivative of ulter (unrecorded) “located beyond”

Explanation

Use the adjective ultra to describe something extreme, like your ultra strict parents or your own ultra radical political views. If your sister is ultra uptight and your English teacher's syllabus is ultra traditional, it means that both of them hold unusual opinions, far outside of the normal range. Neither would be a good fit for your own ultra relaxed philosophy of life. Ultra means "beyond" in Latin, and its meaning of "outside the norm" comes from the French word ultra-royaliste, or "extreme royalist." Eventually, it was shortened to just ultra, to describe any extreme opinion.

Example Sentences

In the U.S., the emergence of corporate-sponsored electronic music festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival—which began, much like Dave & Buster’s offering would, in Southern California—and Ultra brought rave culture to the apex of commerce.

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026

He has consistently denied wrongdoing or having ever received payments from Plus Ultra.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

For bullish investors trading the ProShares Ultra SpaceX ETF, if the company’s stock rises on a given day, that means the ETF should gain about two times as much as SpaceX’s shares.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The company says you can generally walk 18 miles in the X Ultra S, twice that with the included extra battery pack.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

The Greeks of Terra d'Otranto bear a strong physical 170 resemblance to the Greeks of Calabria Ultra.

From Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886) by Martinengo-Cesaresco, Countess Evelyn