phrasal verb (idiomatic) · academic
carry to extremes
/ˈkæri tə ɪkˈstriːmz/CAR·ry to ex·TREEMZ
to push an idea, belief or action beyond reasonable limits; to make something excessive
Examples
“Some critics argue that environmentalism has been carried to extremes by a vocal minority.”
“People can carry the desire for perfection to extremes, which harms mental health.”
“Policy-makers should avoid carrying restrictions to extremes that damage livelihoods.”
Band 8 sentence
“When public health measures are carried to extremes without social support, they risk alienating the very people they aim to protect.”
Collocations
- carry something to extremes
- carry measures to extremes
Word family
Common mistakes
take to extreme→carry to extremes
carry to extreme→carry to extremes
Say it for a higher band
5take to extremes→6push to the extreme→7+carry to extremes
Synonyms
take to extremes
push to the extreme
Easily confused
take to extremes
“He tends to take small problems to extremes.”
Related words
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