extreme

adjective ex·treme \ ik-ˈstrēm \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: extreme in a Sentence

Definition of extreme

1 a : existing in a very high degree

extreme poverty

b : going to great or exaggerated lengths : radical

went on an extreme diet

c : exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected

extreme weather conditions

2 archaic : last

3 : situated at the farthest possible point from a center

the country's extreme north

4 a : most advanced or thoroughgoing

the extreme political left

b : maximum

5 a : of, relating to, or being an outdoor activity or a form of a sport (such as skiing) that involves an unusually high degree of physical risk

extreme mountain biking down steep slopes

b : involved in an extreme sport

an extreme snowboarder

—

extremeness

noun

See extreme defined for English-language learners

See extreme defined for kids

Examples of extreme in a Sentence

The plant is sensitive to extreme heat and cold.
They are living in extreme poverty.
She went on an extreme diet.
Many thought that the punishment was too extreme for the crime.
The plan was rejected as too extreme.
This is an extreme example of what can happen when a company grows too quickly.
He has extreme opinions when it comes to politics.
Members of the extreme right opposed the legislation.

Recent Examples of extreme from the Web

The danger of letting go of your reality is pretty extreme.

— sarah digiulio /, NBC News, "What is gaslighting? And how do you know if it's happening to you?," 13 July 2018
His goals are extreme, but his process is apparently painless, and — call me cynical — almost certain not to be permanent.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Think these movies are too gory? The Greek myths they're based on are worse," 12 July 2018
Still, even with that context, the Trump administration’s action are extreme.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "The Trump administration takes a bold stance against mother’s milk.," 9 July 2018
Crowding on trains going through the Transbay Tube is so extreme that the system is exploring a second bay crossing.

— roland li, SFChronicle.com, "Eastline, bigger than Salesforce Tower, wants to transform Oakland," 6 July 2018
The boom in Berlin, population 3.5 million, has been extreme.

— andrea thomas, WSJ, "Berlin Aims to Cut Its Residential Real-Estate Boom Down to Size," 5 July 2018
In the past two decades, has the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty doubled, halved, or remained the same?

— sarah mupo, STAT, "The 39 best health and science books to read this summer," 25 June 2018
Tens of thousands of parents and children, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, have been caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in recent years with stories of fleeing drug cartels, extreme poverty and gang violence.

— anne flaherty, Anchorage Daily News, "The immigration crisis: How we got here and what’s next," 19 June 2018
Other scientists have since reported that corals lay down larger growth rings during wet seasons when temperatures are more moderate, and smaller rings during dry seasons when conditions are more extreme.

— elizabeth svoboda, Scientific American, "Cores from Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'extreme.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of extreme

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin extremus, superlative of exter, exterus being on the outside — more at exterior

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

extreme Synonyms

Phrases

a bit much, over the top;

Synonym Discussion of extreme

excessive, immoderate, inordinate, extravagant, exorbitant, extreme mean going beyond a normal limit. excessive implies an amount or degree too great to be reasonable or acceptable.

- excessive punishment

immoderate implies lack of desirable or necessary restraint.

- immoderate spending

inordinate implies an exceeding of the limits dictated by reason or good judgment.

- inordinate pride

extravagant implies an indifference to restraints imposed by truth, prudence, or good taste.

- extravagant claims for the product

exorbitant implies a departure from accepted standards regarding amount or degree.

- exorbitant prices

extreme may imply an approach to the farthest limit possible or conceivable but commonly means only to a notably high degree.

- extreme shyness

extreme

noun

Definition of extreme

1 a : something situated at or marking one end or the other of a range

extremes of heat and cold

b : the first term or the last term of a mathematical proportion

c : the major term or minor term of a syllogism

2 a : a very pronounced or excessive degree

b : highest degree : maximum

3 : an extreme measure or expedient

going to extremes

— in the extreme

: to the greatest possible extent

See extreme defined for English-language learners

Examples of extreme in a Sentence

After spending lavishly for years, the company has now gone to the opposite extreme and has cut expenses drastically.
His mood changed from one extreme to the other.

Recent Examples of extreme from the Web

In addition to tracing the sweep of recovery and perseverance, Coming to My Senses digs into the psychological underpinnings of why athletes push themselves to physical extremes.

— heather hansman, Outside Online, "The Newest Adventure Movies You Can Watch Right Now," 12 July 2018
This imagery of hellish fighting, our heroes dying all around while a lucky few manage to make it to the green pastures beyond is Biblical in the extreme.

— refinery29.com, "Westworld Season 2 Finale Recap: A Whole Lotta Ben Barnes," 25 June 2018
Sometimes Anderson was really not a names-and-margins guy, in the extreme.

— tim layden, SI.com, "Remembering Chic Anderson’s Legendary Call of Secretariat’s Record Run at 1973 Belmont Stakes," 4 June 2018
The breezy courtship sequences feel stiff; the writing’s generic in the extreme.

— michael phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Adrift' review: Trouble off Tahiti with Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin and a hurricane," 31 May 2018
His playing trafficked — to an almost daredevil degree — in extremes of pianissimo.

— jeremy eichler, BostonGlobe.com, "Tanglewood opens with Bernstein’s exuberance, Lang Lang’s return," 8 July 2018
America has been this experiment at the extremes of that.

— adam rathe, Town & Country, "New Elvis Presley Documentary The King Tells the Story of a Musical Legend," 22 June 2018
This is especially true of American democracy, since the Founders deliberately gave us a government resistant to radical change, designed to avoid the extremes of monarchical absolutism and popular whim.

— adam kirsch, The Atlantic, "Bill Clinton’s Novel Isn't a Thriller—It's a Fantasy," 16 June 2018
There have always been two sides to Holowaty, who probably represents the extremes of an intense emotional spectrum as well as anyone in our state’s history.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "Mike Anthony: Bill Holowaty A Gentle Friend And Guiding Force For Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League," 8 June 2018

First Known Use of extreme

1555

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

EXTREME Defined for English Language Learners

extreme

adjective

Definition of extreme for English Language Learners

: very great in degree
: very serious or severe
: very far from agreeing with the opinions of most people : not moderate

extreme

noun

Definition of extreme for English Language Learners

: either one of two opposite conditions, feelings, positions, etc., that are thought of as being far from what is normal or reasonable
: an amount or degree that is far beyond what is normal or reasonable