extreme

English Online Dictionary. What means extreme‎? What does extreme mean?

English

Alternative forms

• extream, extreame (obsolete)
• xtreme (informal, nonstandard)

Etymology

Borrowed into late Middle English from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus, the superlative of exter.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɹiːm/, /ˌɛkˈstɹiːm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɹim/
• Rhymes: -iːm

Adjective

extreme (comparative extremer or more extreme, superlative extremest or most extreme)

1. Of a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost.

   Synonyms: farthest, furthest, most distant, outermost, remotest

   Antonyms: closest, nearest

2. In the greatest or highest degree; intense.

   Synonyms: greatest, highest

   Antonym: least
3. Excessive, or far beyond the norm.

   Synonyms: immoderate, unrestrained; see also Thesaurus:excessive

   Antonyms: moderate, reasonable
4. Drastic, or of great severity.

   Synonyms: drastic, severe

   Antonyms: moderate, reasonable

5. Of sports, difficult or dangerous; performed in a hazardous environment.

   Synonym: dangerous

6. (archaic) Ultimate, final or last.

   Synonyms: final, last, ultimate; see also Thesaurus:final

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

extreme (plural extremes)

1. The greatest or utmost point, degree, or condition.
2. Each of the things at opposite ends of a range or scale.

   Synonym: pole
3. (obsolete, plural only) One of the last moments of life.
4. A drastic expedient.

5. (obsolete, plural only) Hardships, straits.
6. (mathematics) Either of the two numbers at the ends of a proportion, as 1 and 6 in 1:2=3:6.

Translations

Adverb

extreme (comparative more extreme, superlative most extreme)

1. (archaic) Extremely.

Usage notes

• Formerly used to modify adjectives and sometimes adverbs, but rarely verbs.

Derived terms

Related terms

• extremum

See also

• mean

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “extreme”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

extreme

1. inflection of extreem:
   1. masculine/feminine singular attributive
   2. definite neuter singular attributive
   3. plural attributive

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

extreme

1. inflection of extrem:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Ido

Adverb

extreme

1. extremely

Latin

Noun

extrēme

1. vocative singular of extrēmus

References

• "extreme", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• extreme in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Middle French

Adjective

extreme m or f (plural extremes)

1. extreme

Spanish

Verb

extreme

1. inflection of extremar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Swedish

Adjective

extreme

1. definite natural masculine singular of extrem