Extreme vs Absolute - What's the difference?
extreme | absolute |
Of a place, the most remote, farthest or outermost.
In the greatest or highest degree; intense.
* , chapter=13
, title= Excessive, or far beyond the norm.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-03
, author=Frank Fish, George Lauder, volume=101, issue=2, page=114, magazine=(American Scientist)
, title= Drastic, or of great severity.
Of sports, difficult or dangerous; performed in a hazardous environment.
(archaic) Ultimate, final or last.
The greatest or utmost point, degree or condition.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2
, passage=Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.
Each of the things at opposite ends of a range or scale.
A drastic expedient.
(mathematics) Either of the two numbers at the ends of a proportion, as 1'' and ''6'' in ''1:2=3:6 .
(archaic) Extremely.
* 1796 Charles Burney, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Metastasio 2.5:
(obsolete) Absolved; free.
(obsolete) Disengaged from accidental circumstances.
(archaic) Complete in itself; perfect.
* (rfdate) :
(grammar) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence; as
# (of a case form) syntactically connected to the rest of the sentence in an atypical manner; ablative absolute; nominative absolute; genitive absolute; accusative absolute.
# standing by itself in a loose syntactical connection, and qualifying the sentence as a whole rather than any single word in it.
# (of an adjective or possessive pronoun) lacking a modified substantive.
# (comparative, superlative) expressing a relative term without a definite comparison.'
# having no direct object.
# (Irish, Welsh) an inflected verb that is not preceded by any number of articles or compounded with a preverb.
(obsolete) Absorbed in, as an occupation.
Unrestricted; in sole control; possessing absolute power; independent, as in ownership or authority.
Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol.
(figurative) Complete; utter; outright; unmitigated; entire; total; not qualified or diminished in any way; unrestricted; without limitation.
Unconditional; free from any conditions, limitations, and relations;
# having unlimited power, without limits set by a constitution, parliament, or other means.
# proceeding from or characteristic of an absolute ruler.
* 1962 , Hannah Arendt, On Revolution , (1990), page 155:
# Absolutist; arbitrary; despotic.
Real; actual.
(archaic) Certain; free from doubt or uncertainty, as a person or prediction.
* (rfdate) (William Shakespeare), Cymbeline , Act 4, Scene 2:
Positive; unquestionable; peremptory.
Free from conditional limitations; operating or existing in full under all circumstances without variation.
(philosophy) Existing, able to be thought of, or able to be viewed without relation to other things.
* (rfdate) :
Authoritative; peremptory.
* (rfdate) :
(philosophy) Fundamental; ultimate; intrinsic; free from the variability and error natural to the human way of thinking and perception.
(physics) Independent of arbitrary units of measurement not comparative or relative as,
# having reference to or derived from the simplest manner from the fundamental units of mass, time, and length.
# relating to the absolute temperature scale.
(legal) Complete; unconditional; final; without encumbrances; not liable to change or cancellation.
(education) Pertaining to a grading system based on the knowledge of the individual and not on the comparative knowledge of the group of students.
(art) Concerned entirely with expressing beauty and feelings, lacking meaningful reference.
(dance) Utilizing the body to express ideas, independent of music and costumes.
(math) Indicating an expression that is true for all real number; unconditional.
That which is independent of context-dependent interpretation, inviolate, fundamental.
Anything that is absolute.
(geometry) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
(philosophy, usually capitalized) A realm which exists without reference to anything else; that which can be imagined purely by itself; absolute ego.
* 1983 , (Lawrence Durrell), Sebastian'', Faber & Faber 2004 (''Avignon Quintet ), page 1039:
(philosophy, usually capitalized) The unity of spirit and nature; God.
(philosophy, usually capitalized) The whole of reality; the totality to which everything is reduced.
Concentrated natural flower oil, used for perfumes.
In archaic terms the difference between extreme and absolute
is that extreme is extremely while absolute is certain; free from doubt or uncertainty, as a person or prediction.As an adverb extreme
is extremely.extreme
English
Adjective
(en-adj)The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them.}}
Not Just Going with the Flow, passage=An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex . The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.}}
- the extreme hour of life
Synonyms
* (place) farthest, furthest, most distant, outermost, remotest * (in greatest or highest degree) greatest, highest * (excessive) excessive, too much * (drastic) drastic, severe * (sports) dangerous * (ultimate) final, last, ultimateAntonyms
* (place) closest, nearest * (in greatest or highest degree) least * (excessive) moderate, reasonable * (drastic) moderate, reasonableDerived terms
* extremenessNoun
(en noun)Adverb
(en adverb)- In the empty and extreme cold theatre.
Usage notes
* Formerly used to modify adjectives and sometimes adverbs, but rarely verbs.Derived terms
* extremism * extremist * extremity * extremely * extreme ironing * extreme unctionSee also
* meanReferences
* ----absolute
English
Alternative forms
*Adjective
(en-adj)- So absolute she seems, And in herself complete.
- Anyhow in 'anyhow, I made it home' is an absolute .
- Hungry in 'Feed the hungry.'
- Older in 'An older person should be treated with respect.
- Kill in 'If looks could kill...'
- When caught, he told an absolute lie.
- the more absolute' the ruler, the more ' absolute the revolution will be which replaces him.
- I am absolute ’t was very Cloten.
- absolute motion
- absolute time or space
- Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from ''relative'' rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
- To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute .
- The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed.
Derived terms
* ablative absolute * absolute address * absolute curvature * absolute equation * absolute magnitude * absolute majority * absolute monarchy * absolute music * absolute pitch * absolute power * absolute space * absolute term * absolute temperature * absolute value * absolute zeroSynonyms
* categorical, unconditional, unlimited, unrestricted * (having unlimited power) autocratic, despotic * (complete in itself) fixed * (able to be viewed without relation to other things) independentAntonyms
* conditional, limited * (able to be viewed without relation to other things) relative, dependentNoun
(en noun)- moral absolutes
- Withdrawn as a Buddha he sat, watching the alien world from his perch in the absolute .
