extreme

[ik-streem] /ɪkˈstrim/
adjective, extremer, extremest.
1.
of a character or kind farthest removed from the ordinary or average:
extreme measures.
2.
utmost or exceedingly great in degree:
extreme joy.
3.
farthest from the center or middle; outermost; endmost:
the extreme limits of a town.
4.
farthest, utmost, or very far in any direction:
an object at the extreme point of vision.
5.
exceeding the bounds of moderation:
extreme fashions.
6.
going to the utmost or very great lengths in action, habit, opinion, etc.:
an extreme conservative.
7.
last or final:
extreme hopes.
8.
Chiefly Sports. extremely dangerous or difficult:
extreme skiing.
noun
9.
the utmost or highest degree, or a very high degree:
cautious to an extreme.
10.
one of two things as remote or different from each other as possible:
the extremes of joy and grief.
11.
the furthest or utmost length; an excessive length, beyond the ordinary or average:
extremes in dress.
12.
an extreme act, measure, condition, etc.:
the extreme of poverty.
13.
Mathematics.
  1. the first or the last term, as of a proportion or series.
  2. a relative maximum or relative minimum value of a function in a given region.
14.
Logic. the subject or the predicate of the conclusion of a syllogism; either of two terms that are separated in the premises and brought together in the conclusion.
15.
Archaic. the utmost point, or extremity, of something.
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English < Latin extrēmus, superlative of exterus outward. See exterior
Related forms
extremeness, noun
overextreme, adjective
quasi-extreme, adjective
superextreme, adjective
superextremely, adverb
superextremeness, noun
unextreme, adjective
Synonyms
2. greatest, highest; superlative. 3. ultimate, last, uttermost, remotest. 6. extravagant, immoderate, excessive, fanatical, uncompromising, unreasonable. See radical.
Antonyms
6. moderate.
Examples from the web for extreme
  • The reason of this extreme difficulty comes from the fact that the principles of pleasure are not firm and stable.
  • But these are only the best-known of this crowd's extreme views.
  • Insurance companies see danger from extreme weather.
  • But the economy that it inherited when communism collapsed a decade ago was ropy in the extreme.
  • extreme is a journey into the soul of adventure featuring a cast of world champion athletes.
  • Adapting to extreme weather calls for a combination of restoring wetland and building drains and sewers that can handle the water.
  • It affected every part of his body--double vision, hallucination, and extreme night sweats.
  • In hot-summer climates, sow in early spring or late summer so that plants will mature before extreme heat sets in.
  • But to be worthy of consideration as a graduate-advising horror story, some sort of extreme behavior must be involved.
  • Now it offers an extreme example of how difficult it will be to recover from the disaster.
British Dictionary definitions for extreme

extreme

/ɪkˈstriːm/
adjective
1.
being of a high or of the highest degree or intensity: extreme cold, extreme difficulty
2.
exceeding what is usual or reasonable; immoderate: extreme behaviour
3.
very strict, rigid, or severe; drastic: an extreme measure
4.
(prenominal) farthest or outermost in direction: the extreme boundary
5.
(meteorol) of, relating to, or characteristic of a continental climate
noun
6.
the highest or furthest degree (often in the phrases in the extreme, go to extremes)
7.
(often pl) either of the two limits or ends of a scale or range of possibilities: extremes of temperature
8.
(maths)
  1. the first or last term of a series or a proportion
  2. a maximum or minimum value of a function
9.
(logic) the subject or predicate of the conclusion of a syllogism
Derived Forms
extremeness, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Latin extrēmus outermost, from exterus on the outside; see exterior
Word Origin and History for extreme
adj.

early 15c., from Old French extreme (13c.), from Latin extremus "outermost, utmost, farthest, last," superlative of exterus (see exterior).

In English as in Latin, not always felt as a superlative, hence more extreme, most extreme (which were condemned by Johnson). The noun is first recorded 1540s, originally of the end of life, cf. Latin in extremis. Extreme unction preserves the sense of "last, latest" (15c.). Extremes "opposite ends of anything" is from 1550s.

extreme in Science
extreme
  (ĭk-strēm')   

  1. Either the first or fourth term of a proportion of four terms. In the proportion 2/3 = 4/6 , the extremes are 2 and 6. Compare mean.

  2. A maximum or minimum value of a function.