extremophile
noun
Did you know?
No, an extremophile is not an enthusiast of extreme sports (though -phile does mean "one who loves or has an affinity for"). Rather, extremophiles are organisms—mostly microorganisms—that thrive in environments once considered uninhabitable, from places with high levels of toxicity and radiation to boiling-hot deep-sea volcanoes to Antarctic ice sheets. Scientists have even created a new biological domain to classify some of these extremophiles: Archaea (from Greek archaios, meaning "ancient"). These extremophiles may have a lot in common with the first organisms to appear on earth billions of years ago. If so, they can give us insight into how life on our planet may have arisen. They are also being studied to learn about possible life forms on other planets, where conditions are extreme compared to conditions on Earth.
Examples of extremophile in a Sentence
Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 18 May 2025
Scientists believe studying these extremophiles could revolutionize life sciences, bioengineering, and space exploration.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 20 May 2025
But only if their human residents can be re-engineered, essentially becoming extremophiles.
—Dave S. Brody, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
On Earth, organisms living in harsh environments, such as hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor, are called extremophiles, and the experiment could reveal which microorganisms are hardy enough to exist amid the harsh radiation of space.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extremophile
Cite this Entry
“Extremophile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extremophile. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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