Etymologically
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extremist

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Pronunciation

  • /ɪkˈstɹiːmɪst/, /ɛkˈstɹiːmɪst/[1]

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

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