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Formation: N + の極み; N + の極みに達する

This pattern means the extreme or peak of something, positive or negative. It is written and formal. It is used for the speaker's own feelings in formal statements (痛恨の極み, 'a matter of deepest regret'; 感激の極み) and also to describe or judge things (贅沢の極み, 'the height of luxury'; 無責任の極み, 'utterly irresponsible'). Compared with 〜の至り, which is limited to a few set phrases about the speaker's own feelings, 〜の極み takes many more nouns and can criticise others. 〜極まる／極まりない is used as a predicate after な-adjectives (危険極まりない) and is mostly negative. 〜の極み forms a noun phrase.

Variants: 〜の極みだ、〜の極みに達する

Examples

• 老舗旅館で過ごす休日は、まさに贅沢の極みだ。
  A holiday at a long-established inn is truly the height of luxury.
• 決勝で敗れたことは、痛恨の極みです。
  Losing in the final is a matter of the deepest regret.
• 説明を拒み続ける会社の態度は、無責任の極みだ。
  The company's refusal to give any explanation is the height of irresponsibility.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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