äärimmäisille

äärimmäisille is the allative plural form of the Finnish adjective äärimmäinen, meaning extreme, outermost, or ultimate. It is used to modify a plural noun in the allative case, indicating direction toward or designation for extremes, such as extreme measures, ideologies, or means.

Etymology and form: The base adjective äärimmäinen comes from äärä, meaning edge or boundary, with the suffix -inen. In Finnish, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number and case; the allative plural form of äärimmäinen is äärimmäisille, used with nouns in the allative plural (for example, toimenpiteille, aatteille, keinoille).

Usage: Äärimmäisille appears mainly in formal or written Finnish, particularly in analytical, political, or ethical discourse where actions or ideas are being described as directed toward or associated with extremes. Common expressions include äärimmäisille toimenpiteille (for extreme measures), äärimmäisille aatteille (to extreme ideologies), and äärimmäisille keinoille (to extreme means). The construction conveys a sense of reaching toward or applying to the extreme end of a spectrum.

Grammatical note: As with other Finnish adjectives, äärimmäinen takes different inflectional endings to match the noun it modifies. When the noun is plural in the allative case, the adjective becomes äärimmäisille, and the noun receives the corresponding allative ending.

See also: äärimmäinen, äärimmäisyys, Finnish grammar, allative case.