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extreme definition

ex·treme (ek strēm′, ik-)

adjective

  1. at the end or outermost point; farthest away; most remote; utmost
    1. in or to the greatest degree; very great or greatest extreme pain
    2. to an excessive degree; immoderate
  3. far from what is usual or conventional
  4. deviating to the greatest degree from the center of opinion, as in politics
  5. very severe; drastic extreme measures
  6. designating or of sports that involve high speeds, unusually risky actions, and considerable exposure to physical injury
  7. Archaic last; final

Etymology: ME & OFr < L extremus, last, outermost, superl. of exterus, outer: see external

noun

  1. either of two things that are as different or far as possible from each other
  2. an extreme degree
  3. an extreme act, expedient, etc.
  4. an extreme state or condition an extreme of distress
  5. Obsolete an extreme point; extremity
  6. Math.
    1. the first or last term of a proportion
    2. extremum

Related Forms:

extreme Idioms

go to extremes

to be excessive or immoderate in speech or action

in the extreme

to the utmost degree

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

extreme Synonyms

extreme

modif.

  1. The most remote

    utmost, final, ultimate, farthest; see last 1.

  2. Going beyond moderation and reason

    radical, intemperate, immoderate, imprudent, excessive, inordinate, immeasurable, profuse, extravagant, exorbitant, overkill, flagrant, outrageous, unreasonable, irrational, improper, unconventional, fabulous, preposterous, abysmal, greatest, thorough, far, gross, out of proportion, absolute, ultra, extremist, fanatical, rabid, overzealous, desperate, severe, intense, strict, drastic, sheer, total, advanced, violent, sharp, acute, beyond control, fantastic, to the extreme, nonsensical, unqualified, absurd, monstrous, unmitigated, hyperbolic, exaggerated, big*, almighty*, super*, stiff*, steep*, gonzo*, out of bounds*, at its height*, beyond the pale*, way-out*, far-out*, to the max*.

    Antonyms cautious, restrained*, moderate.


extreme

n.

height, apogee, utmost, maximum; see climax, limit 2.

go to extremes

be excessive, be immoderate, go to great lengths, go overboard*; see overdo 1.

in the extreme

extremely, to the highest degree, inordinately, to the utmost; see much 2, very.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

extreme Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • avoid: The right path is obviously to avoid the extremes.

Adjective modifier

  • opposite: On the negative side however, I veer to the opposite extreme.

Modifies a noun

  • caution: A weather warning is released advising drivers of high sided vehicles to drive with extreme caution.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: It was sometimes tempting to discard a proposal which seemed too extreme.

Noun used with modifier

  • temperature: Effects of temperature extremes ( hot and cold ).

Preposition: of

  • temperature: Single daily readings of a conventional thermometer give little assurance of the extremes of temperature achieved between the readings.
extreme usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

extreme quotes

  You have to take things to an extreme and then bring them back to reality.

-Klein, Calvin Richard

Our course in the House of Lords ought to be very firm and uncompromising but moderate†an example of what has since been called the politics of the extreme centre.

-Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of

extreme quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"extreme." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/extreme>

APA Style

extreme. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/extreme

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