different between extreme vs dreadful

extreme

English

Alternative forms

  • extream, extreame (obsolete)
  • xtreme (informal, nonstandard)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?k?st?i?m/, /?k?st?i?m/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /?k?st?im/

Adjective

extreme (comparative extremer or more extreme, superlative extremest or most extreme)

  1. Of a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost.
  2. In the greatest or highest degree; intense.
  3. Excessive, or far beyond the norm.
  4. Drastic, or of great severity.
  5. Of sports, difficult or dangerous; performed in a hazardous environment.
  6. (archaic) Ultimate, final or last.
    the extreme hour of life

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

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

Derived terms

  • extremeness

Translations

Noun

extreme (plural extremes)

  1. The greatest or utmost point, degree or condition.
  2. Each of the things at opposite ends of a range or scale.
  3. A drastic expedient.
  4. (mathematics) Either of the two numbers at the ends of a proportion, as 1 and 6 in 1:2=3:6.

Translations

Adverb

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.

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

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

Related terms

  • extremum

See also

  • mean

References

  • John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “extreme”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

extreme

  1. Inflected form of extreem

German

Adjective

extreme

  1. inflection of extrem:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Ido

Adverb

extreme

  1. extremely

Latin

Noun

extr?me

  1. vocative singular of extr?mus

References

  • extreme in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • extreme in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700?[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Middle French

Adjective

extreme m or f (plural extremes)

  1. extreme

Spanish

Verb

extreme

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of extremar.
  2. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of extremar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of extremar.

Swedish

Adjective

extreme

  1. absolute definite natural masculine form of extrem.

extreme From the web:

  • what extreme weather
  • what extreme means
  • what extreme sports are there
  • what extreme conditions surround the titanic
  • what extreme stress can cause
  • what extreme weather is in the midwest
  • what extreme fatigue means
  • what extreme anxiety feels like


dreadful

English

Alternative forms

  • dreadfull
  • dredful (obsolete)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /?d??d.f?l/

Etymology

From Middle English dredful, dredfull, dredeful (also dreful), equivalent to dread +? -ful.

Adjective

dreadful (comparative more dreadful, superlative most dreadful)

  1. Full of something causing dread, whether
    1. Genuinely horrific, awful, or alarming; dangerous, risky.
      • 1900, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chapter 23:
        "...Aunt Em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and that will make her put on mourning..."
    2. (hyperbolic) Unpleasant, awful, very bad (also used as an intensifier).
      • 1682, T. Creech's translation of Lucretius, De Natura Rerum, Book II, 52:
        Here some... Look dreadful gay in their own sparkling blood.
    3. (obsolete) Awesome, awe-inspiring, causing feelings of reverence.
  2. (obsolete) Full of dread, whether
    1. Scared, afraid, frightened.
    2. Timid, easily frightened.
    3. Reverential, full of pious awe.

Adverb

dreadful (comparative more dreadful, superlative most dreadful)

  1. (informal) Dreadfully.

Usage notes

The senses of "dreadful" synonymous with "afraid" similarly use the infinitive or the preposition "of": they were dreadful to build or the boy was dreadful of his majesty. These senses are, however, now obsolete.

When used as an intensifier, "dreadful" is actually a form of the adverb "dreadfully" and thus considered informal or vulgar.

Synonyms

  • See Thesaurus:frightening
  • See Thesaurus:bad

Derived terms

  • dreadfully
  • dreadfulness

Translations

Noun

dreadful (plural dreadfuls)

  1. A shocker: a report of a crime written in a provokingly lurid style.
  2. A journal or broadsheet printing such reports.
  3. A shocking or sensational crime.

Derived terms

  • penny dreadful

Further reading

  • Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

dreadful From the web:

  • what dreadful means
  • what dreadful situation is knox referring to
  • what dreadful dole is here
  • what dreadful oracle was cited in the story
  • what does dreadful mean
  • what is meant by dreadful
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