extremist

Etymology

It is formed from English extreme + -ist.^[2][3][4][5] The Shorter Oxford takes it as formed like extremism, with the suffix;^[6] the OED notes that extremism is recorded later,^[2] and compares French extrémiste, recorded only from 1915 as an adjective and 1917 as a noun.^[2] Extreme is from Old French extreme, from Latin extrēmus (“outermost, utmost, last”), the superlative of exterus (“outward”), the source of exterior.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who tends to go to the extreme: 1806, in B. Moseley's Commentary on Lues Bovilla.^[2] Etymonline dates the noun, a supporter of extreme doctrines, to 1840,^[3] and the first edition of the OED had it from 1846.^[7]

Semantic evolution

From the start the word described a person disposed to go to extremes, and especially a member of a party advocating extreme measures.^[2][7] Its main use is political or religious: one who holds extreme views or advocates illegal or violent action.^[2][8] The adjective is recorded from 1878,^[2] and the Shorter Oxford dates it to the early 20th century.^[6] The noun extremism followed in 1849.^[2]

Timeline

• 1806 – noun, a person who goes to extremes.^[2]
• 1840 – a supporter of extreme doctrines, in Etymonline.^[3]
• 1849 – the noun extremism.^[2]
• 1878 – adjective, of or holding extreme views.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who holds extreme opinions, especially in politics or religion, or who supports immoderate, violent or illegal measures; a radical or fanatic.^[8][4][9][2]

Adjective

1. Of, relating to, or characterized by extreme views or methods: an extremist faction.^[8][4][2]

Word family

• extremism

Related words

• extreme
• extremity
• exterior

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin