I. ex ‧ treme 1 S3 W3 /ɪkˈstriːm/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ extreme , ↑ extremism , ↑ extremist , ↑ extremity ; adjective : ↑ extreme , ↑ extremist ; adverb : ↑ extremely ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: extrême , from Latin extremus 'most outward' , from exter ; ⇨ ↑ external ]
1 . [only before noun] very great in degree:
Extreme poverty still exists in many rural areas.
extreme care/caution
It is necessary to use extreme caution with chemicals.
extreme cold
He had extreme difficulty getting hold of the ingredients.
2 . very unusual and severe or serious
extreme example/case
an extreme case of cruelty
Force is only justified in extreme circumstances.
extreme weather/conditions etc
3 . extreme west/end/left etc the part furthest to the west, nearest the end etc:
on the extreme edge of the cliff
4 . extreme opinions, beliefs, or organizations, especially political ones, are considered by most people to be unacceptable and unreasonable:
extreme right-wing nationalists
5 . [only before noun] extreme sports/surfing/skiing etc an extreme sport is one that is done in a way that has much more risk and so is more dangerous than an ordinary form of the sport
6 . extreme athlete/surfer/skier etc someone who does extreme sports:
Extreme surfers will ride waves that reach heights of more than fifty feet.
II. extreme 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ extreme , ↑ extremism , ↑ extremist , ↑ extremity ; adjective : ↑ extreme , ↑ extremist ; adverb : ↑ extremely ]
1 . a situation, quality etc which is as great as it can possibly be – used especially when talking about two opposites
extreme of
The bacteria can withstand extremes of heat and cold.
In fact, the truth lies between the two extremes.
at the other/opposite extreme
At the other extreme is a country like Switzerland with almost no unemployment.
Advertisements seem to go from one extreme to the other (=change from one extreme thing to something totally opposite) .
2 . in the extreme to a very great degree:
This kind of experiment seems cruel in the extreme.
3 . to extremes if someone does something to extremes, they do it to a point beyond what is normal or acceptable
take/carry something to extremes
Problems only occur when this attitude is taken to extremes.
She had gone to extremes to avoid seeing him.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ right-wing adjective a right-wing person or group wants low taxes, a strong army and police force, and the individual to be free from government interference as much as possible:
right-wing political parties
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Some of his supporters are very right-wing.
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right-wing policies on gun control
▪ left-wing adjective a left-wing person or group wants the government to make society more equal by increasing taxes for rich people, and taking control of important industries and services:
a left-wing newspaper
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His views are very left-wing.
▪ green adjective [usually before noun] supporting policies and principles which will protect the environment:
green politicians
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the Green Party
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The government is under pressure to improve its green credentials (=to seem more like it wants to protect the environment) .
▪ radical adjective supporting political ideas that will involve great change:
radical politicians
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a radical economic reform programme
▪ liberal adjective supporting political ideas that will allow people to have greater freedom:
They want the government to have a more liberal policy on drugs.
▪ moderate adjective having political opinions which are not extreme:
People generally become more moderate as they get older.
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The bill is supported by moderate Republicans.
▪ extreme adjective having political opinions which are considered to be very unreasonable by many people:
His views on immigration are very extreme.
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an extreme right-wing organization