Extreme Meaning
/ɪkˈstɹiːm/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost.
adjIn the greatest or highest degree; intense.
Sentence Examples
Your proposal is a bit extreme.
If you drive with anything less than extreme caution, you're risking your life.
We are working under extreme pressure at the moment.
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the ____ cold, the pipes in the house froze solid.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The region is known for its ____ weather, ranging from very hot summers to freezing winters.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed into late Middle English from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus, the superlative of exter.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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 26, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 114:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the ____ cold, the pipes in the house froze solid.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The region is known for its ____ weather, ranging from very hot summers to freezing winters.