extremeとは

意味・読み方・使い方

語源

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

発音

• (Received 発音) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɹiːm/, /ɛkˈstɹiːm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɹim/

形容詞

extreme (comparative extremer または more extreme, superlative extremest または most extreme)

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.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 13, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     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.

   He has an extreme aversion to needles, and avoids visiting the doctor.

3. Excessive, or far beyond the norm.
   • 2013 March 1, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 114:

     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.

   His extreme love of model trains showed in the rails that criscrossed his entire home.

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.

6. (archaic) Ultimate, final or last.

   the extreme hour of life

同意語

• (place): farthest, furthest, most distant, outermost, remotest
• (in greatest または highest degree): greatest, highest
• (excessive): excessive, too much
• (drastic): drastic, severe
• (sports): dangerous
• (ultimate): final, last, ultimate

反意語

• (place): closest, nearest
• (in greatest または highest degree): least
• (excessive): moderate, reasonable
• (drastic): moderate, reasonable

派生語

• extremeness

名詞

extreme (複数形 extremes)

1. The greatest or utmost point, degree or condition.
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:

     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.

2. Each of the things at opposite ends of a range or scale.

   extremes of temperature

   • 2017, Anthony J. McMichael, Alistair Woodward, Cameron Muir, Climate Change and the Health of Nations, →ISBN, page 56:

     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.

3. A drastic expedient.

   Some people go to extremes for attention on social media.

4. (mathematics) Either of the two numbers at the ends of a proportion, as 1 and 6 in 1:2=3:6.

副詞

extreme (comparative more extreme, superlative most extreme)

1. (archaic) Extremely.
   • 1796 Charles Burney, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Metastasio 2.5:

     In the empty and extreme cold theatre.

使用する際の注意点

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

派生語

• extremism
• extremist
• extremity
• extremely
• extreme ironing
• extreme unction

関連する語

• extremum

参考

• mean

参照

• “extreme” in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, →ISBN.