Ultra-

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʌltrÉ™/

Origin

Borrowing from la ultrā.

Full definition of ultra-

Prefix

1. Greater than normal quantity or importance, as in ultrasecret.
2. Beyond, on the far side of, as in ultraviolet.
3. Beyond, outside of, as in ultrasonic.
4. Excessively, to an extreme, as in ultramicroscopic, ultra-careful.
• 2013-05-17, George Monbiot, Money just makes the rich suffer, In order to grant the rich these pleasures, the social contract is reconfigured. …  The public realm is privatised, the regulations restraining the ultra-wealthy and the companies they control are abandoned, and Edwardian levels of inequality are almost fetishised.

Usage notes

Productive in all senses. The hyphen is included when the use is relatively unfamiliar, as in ultra-careful.

Antonyms

• infra-

Derived terms