extremity

noun

ik-ˈstre-mə-tē How to pronounce extremity (audio)
Definition of extremitynext
1
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action made offers of aid to the refugees, and of asylum in extremity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in height
the most extreme or advanced point at its extremity the fever was actually life-threatening

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extremity According to police, the woman had serious injuries to her face, body and extremities. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026 Dillard’s work, though not exclusively about nature, often focused on the natural world, the cruelty and beauty of both flora and fauna, narrowing in on the extremity of the biological systems surrounding us. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026 And last season’s lower-extremity injury rate was half of the average level that occurred from 2018-22. — John Wawrow, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 The researchers think that the extremity of this shrinking has gone unnoticed previously because bombardment from space rocks over time has created craters that obscured the evidence of this process. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for extremity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extremity
  1. crisis
  2. height
  3. head
  4. depth
  5. limit
Noun
  • Her first job as CEO in 2014 was to remake the century-old company’s corporate culture and regain customers’ trust following a tragic, reputation-wrecking ignition-switch crisis.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Though largely peaceful, the protests have added to an already monthlong political crisis following a deadlock of over 19 months that has blocked the election of a president and led to two early elections.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of crisis
Noun
  • Philbrick, a seasoned and popular chronicler of the American past, is equally concerned with those who got trampled by the rush as with those who rode it to astonishing heights of wealth and influence.
    — Richard Kreitner, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Building 1 offers a clear ceiling height of up to 25 feet at the peak, while building 2 provides approximately 18 feet of clear height.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of height
Noun
  • Some 700,000 people have lost their lives in the past 18 months as a result of the development cuts, the head of a global aid organization said last week.
    — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Matt Stanley, head of market engagement at Kpler, highlighted Europe’s dilemma and the risks posed by dipping into emergency reserves in an uncertain geopolitical environment.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of head
Noun
  • The depth of the water around the debris field was 80 to 90 feet.
    — John Raby, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The depth of the water around the debris field was 80 to 90 feet (about 24 to 27 meters).
    — John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of depth
Noun
  • Real-estate holdings are exempted from the tax so that Proposition 40 can’t be accused of violating Proposition 13’s property-tax limits.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • One of the lawsuits says Fox gave Hall free rein to push the Fox news team into an area he'd been repeatedly warned was off limits.
    — Jennifer Schmidt, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of limit

Browse Nearby Words

extremities
extremity
extricate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Extremity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extremity. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All