I. ikˈstrēm, ekˈ-, in “extreme unction”often ÷ˌek-(ˌ)strēm adjective
( often -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin extremus, superl. of exter, exterus on the outside, outward — more at exterior
1.
a. : existing in the highest or the greatest possible degree : very great : very intense
living in extreme poverty
the extreme cold of the polar regions
b. : marked by great severity or violence : most severe : most stringent : drastic , desperate
resorting to extreme measures to combat crime
an extreme action that crushed their spirits
c.
(1) : going to great or exaggerated lengths : uncompromising , radical , fanatical
he was quite extreme in his views on the matter
(2) : going beyond the limits of reason, necessity, or propriety : immoderate
avidly following the most extreme fashion in clothes
a religion whose tenets were austere and extreme
: exceeding the ordinary, usual, or expected : excessive
an extreme descent
d. : having an implied or specified characteristic to the fullest possible extent
the nature of real need can be studied best in extreme cases
in politics he sits at the extreme right
2. archaic : last , final
thy extreme hope, the loveliest and the last — P.B.Shelley
3.
a. : situated at the farthest possible point from a center : most remote : farthest , outermost
the extreme edge of the city
traveling to the extreme borders of the country
an extreme outpost
b. : situated at the very tip of either of two ends (as of a line)
the extreme end of the road
4.
a. : farthest advanced in any direction : most advanced : utmost
standing at the extreme edge of the river
b. : maximum
a folding table with an extreme length of 6 feet
Synonyms: see excessive
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : an extreme state or condition
an extreme of poverty
b. extremes plural , obsolete : critical circumstances : straits, hardships
resolute in most extremes — Shakespeare
2.
a.
(1) : an extreme variation
extremes of behavior weaving into one another as if to spite all moralists — Irving Howe
: something situated at, serving to mark, or terminating one end or the other of a total range or extent
the temperature in the desert ranges astonishingly between extremes of heat and cold
(2) : one of two things related in some way (as by nature, condition, or position) and at the same time removed from, contrasting with, or opposed to each other to a very great extent or as far as possible
the extremes of passion that are called love and hatred
b.
(1) : the first term or the last term of a mathematical proportion
(2) : the greatest or the least of several magnitudes
c. logic : a term appearing in an extreme position: as
(1) : the subject or predicate of a proposition — contrasted with copula
(2) : the major term or minor term of a syllogism — compare middle term
3. archaic : a terminal part of a body : extremity
4.
a.
(1) : a very pronounced or excessive degree
there is no need to grieve to such an extreme
a more stable and democratic regime with less extremes of wealth and poverty — William Clark
he aroused extremes of admiration and hostility — Robert Lawrence
: excess
this world of violent extremes — Huntington Hartford
(2) : the utmost conceivable or tolerable degree : the utter limit
enthusiasm that was carried to an extreme
: maximum
prejudice is found at its extreme in that century
b. : an extreme measure or expedient : an extreme step
forced to an unpleasant extreme
: utmost length
he went to extremes to satisfy their curiosity — P.J.O'Brien
also : an extreme instance or case
an extreme they could not visualize
•
- in the extreme
III. adverb
archaic : extremely
IV. adjective
1. : of, relating to, or being an outdoor activity or a form of a sport (as skiing) that involves an unusually high degree of physical risk
2. : involved in an extreme sport
extreme snowboarder