Extremely

How to spell extremely

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce extremely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does extremely mean?

1. adverbTo a very high degree; far beyond the ordinary level.

Extremely in a sentence

• The new manager was extremely thorough when reviewing the accounts.

• Finding parking near the office is extremely difficult on weekday mornings.

Where does extremely come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin extremus, which means 'outermost' or 'farthest', the superlative of exter, meaning 'on the outside'. The Latin sense pointed to the very edge or limit of something, the point beyond which nothing lies. English took in the adjective 'extreme' through Old French during the late 1400s, keeping that idea of being at the utmost limit, and the adverb 'extremely' was formed soon after by adding the native English ending -ly to make it describe a degree. Over time the word drifted from literal edges to a general intensifier meaning 'to the highest degree', the way we use it now in 'extremely tired'. A useful spelling reminder is that 'extremely' is simply the whole word 'extreme' with -ly bolted on, so the final e of 'extreme' is kept rather than dropped, which is the trap that produces the common misspelling 'extremly'.

How the word is built

• extreme (from Latin extremus: outermost, utmost)
• -ly (adverb-forming suffix)