Etymologically
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extremism

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 23:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ɪkˈstɹiː.mɪ.zəm/, /ɛkˈstɹiː.mɪ.zəm/[1]
  • US: /ɪkˈstɹi.mɪ.zəm/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English extreme + -ism,[2][3][4][5] after the earlier extremist;[2] the OED compares French extrémisme, recorded only from 1918.[2] extreme is from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus (“outermost, utmost, last”), the superlative of exterus (“outward”), the source of exterior.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A tendency to be extreme, especially in political or religious views: 1849, in the Pennsylvania Republican.[2] Etymonline dates the word to 1848, as "a disposition to go to extremes in doctrine or practice",[3] while Merriam-Webster gives 1865[6] and Dictionary.com 1860–65.[4]

Semantic evolution

The word first named a general tendency to go to extremes;[2][3][5] the Shorter Oxford dates the sense "the views or actions of extremists" to the early 20th century.[5] In current use it refers chiefly to extreme political or religious views, or to the support of illegal or violent measures;[2][7] Merriam-Webster equates it with radicalism.[6] Etymonline quotes Barry Goldwater's acceptance speech as Republican presidential candidate: "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice".[3]

Timeline

  • 1849 – a tendency to be extreme, especially in political or religious views.[2]
  • early 20th century – the views or actions of extremists.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The holding of extreme political or religious views, or support for illegal or violent measures to advance them; fanaticism or radicalism: a rise in political extremism.[7][2][6]
  2. The quality or state of being extreme.[6][5]

Word family

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press