Etymology Borrowed into late Middle English from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus, the superlative of exter.
1
Of a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost.
At the extreme edges, the coating is very thin.
2
In the greatest or highest degree; intense.
He has an extreme aversion to needles, and avoids visiting the doctor.
And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
1 more example
Micron said in a statement that it would bring extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology to Japan, becoming the first semiconductor company to do so, and expected to invest up to 500 billion yen ($3.6 billion) with support from the Japanese government.2023 May 18, Reuters, “Chipmakers look to Japan as worries about China grow”, in CNN Business:
3
Excessive, or far beyond the norm.
His extreme love of model trains showed in the rails that criscrossed his entire home.
An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.2013 March 23, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 114:
4
Drastic, or of great severity.
I think the new laws are extreme, but many believe them necessary for national security.
5
Of sports, difficult or dangerous; performed in a hazardous environment.
Television has begun to reflect the growing popularity of extreme sports such as bungee jumping and skateboarding.
Etymology Borrowed into late Middle English from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus, the superlative of exter.
1
The greatest or utmost point, degree, or condition.
Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.[…]But withal there was a perceptible acumen about the man which was puzzling in the extreme.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
2
Each of the things at opposite ends of a range or scale.
extremes of temperature
Most public discussion about heat extremes refers to risks faced by the general community. Yet even greater extremes of heat exposure do and will occur in many occupational settings, posing special risks to health, behavior, and work capacity.2017, Anthony J. McMichael, Alistair Woodward, Cameron Muir, Climate Change and the Health of Nations, →ISBN, page 56:
a farther paſſion feeds my thoughts, With ceaſeleſſe and diſconſolate conceits, Which dies my lookes so liueleſſe as they are, And might, if my extreames had ful euents, Make me the gaſtly counterfeit of death.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii:
6
Mathematics, Sciences Either of the two numbers at the ends of a proportion, as 1 and 6 in 1:2=3:6.
extreme
adv
Etymology Borrowed into late Middle English from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus, the superlative of exter.