adj. 1. Most remote in any direction; outermost or farthest: the extreme edge of the field. 2. Being in or attaining the greatest or highest degree; very intense: extreme pleasure; extreme pain. 4. Of the greatest severity; drastic: took extreme measures to conserve fuel. 5. Biology a. Characterized by severe, usually oxygen-poor environmental conditions. b. Having an affinity for such conditions: an extreme microorganism. 6. Sports a. Very dangerous or difficult: extreme rafting. b. Participating or tending to participate in a very dangerous or difficult sport: an extreme skier. 7. Archaic Final; last. n. Idiom: 1. The greatest or utmost degree or point. 2. Either of the two things situated at opposite ends of a range: the extremes of boiling and freezing. 3. An extreme condition. 4. An immoderate, drastic expedient: resorted to extremes in the emergency. 5. Mathematics a. The first or last term of a ratio or a series. b. A maximum or minimum value of a function. 6. Logic The major or minor term of a syllogism. in the extreme To an extreme degree: eccentric in the extreme. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin extrēmus; see eghs in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] ex·tremely adv. ex·tremeness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.