extremity

noun

ex·​trem·​i·​ty ik-ˈstre-mə-tē 

plural extremities

1

a

: the farthest or most remote part, section, or point

the island's westernmost extremity

b

: a limb of the body

especially : a human hand or foot

2

a

: extreme danger or critical need

b

: a moment marked by imminent destruction or death

3

a

: an intense degree

… the extremity of his participation.

—Saturday Rev.

b

: the utmost degree (as of emotion or pain)

4

: a drastic or desperate act or measure

driven to extremities

Synonyms of extremity

• crisis
• head

Examples of extremity in a Sentence

The extremity of her grief is impossible to imagine.

made offers of aid to the refugees, and of asylum in extremity

Recent Examples on the Web

The most obvious answer was that the story, on a deeper level, needed to be timeless, a tale of a desperate person facing moral dilemmas of increasing extremity while trying to hold fast to their values. —Literary Hub, 1 May 2026

The boy also had multiple blunt trauma injuries to his extremities that were in the process of healing, according to the medical examiner, which detected trace amounts of methamphetamine in the boy’s body. —City News Service, Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026

Yet for Peters, the extremity is the point. —Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026

Floyd’s sincerity, the startling extremity of his concern for the comfort of others, snaps Clark out of his depressed, and depressing, complacency. —Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

extremity

noun

ex·​trem·​i·​ty ik-ˈstrem-ət-ē 

plural extremities

1

: the farthest limit, point, or part

2

: an end part of a limb of the body (as a hand or foot)

3

: an extreme degree (as of emotion or pain)

Medical Definition

extremity

noun

ex·​trem·​i·​ty ik-ˈstrem-ət-ē 

plural extremities

1

: the farthest or most remote part, section, or point

2

: a limb of the body

especially : a human hand or foot