Meanings
comparative more ultra · superlative most ultra
plural ultras
- A political extremist, in particular:
- An ultraleftist.
- An ultranationalist.
- FrancehistoricalAn ultraroyalist.
"At any rate that is what he explained to me," I said hastily while the lawyer rubbed his long ultra's nose and sighed.
1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 371 more example
Her soirées were among the most agreeable at Paris—she united all the rank and talent to be found in the ultra party, for she professed to be quite a female Mæcenas; […]
1828, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter XVI, in Pelham; or, The Adventures of a Gentleman. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 114
- ball gamesAn especially devoted football fan, typically organized and participating in choreographies (including pyrotechnics), often of outwardly intimidating demeanour, but distinguished from a violent hooligan (although overlap between both subcultures is possible)
If a member of an official football club can be said to be a citizen of the football world, an ultra has to be considered as a militant.
2013, Richard Guilianotti, Football, Violence and Social Identity, Routledge, →ISBN, page 772 more examples
A similar view is expressed by a Turin supporter in Segre's study, but in this case it is more specifically addressed to how powerful teams, such as Juventus, get preferential treatment in reports on the negative aspects of the ultras world.
2012, ALINA BERNSTEIN, Neil Blain, Sport, Media, Culture: Global and Local Dimensions, Routledge, →ISBN, page 183Although the intention initially was to distribute tickets and arrange travel to away matches, ultras quickly became actively organised and developed an overtly passionate cultural and political identity inside each curva
2015, Jamie Cleland, A Sociology of Football in a Global Context, Routledge, →ISBN, page 30 - athleticsAn ultramarathon.
1 more example
I've done more than forty marathons and ultras and have won a handful of small boutiquey races in mountainous, out-of-the-way places: the foothills of the Sierra Nevada; Mount Mitchell, North Carolina; Bozeman, Montana; and, on the third day of a 100-mile stage race, the Mount Everest Challenge Marathon in the Himalayas.
2008, Rachel Toor, Personal Record: A Love Affair with Running, Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, →ISBN, page 69 - climbingAn ultra-prominent peak.
Blanca Peak is one of just three ultra-prominence peaks, or “ultras,” in the state and the highpoint of the Sierra Blanca Range, a massif that includes ranked 14ers Ellingwood Point, Little Bear Peak, and Mount Lindsey.
2008, Susan Joy Paul, Climbing Colorado's Mountains, Guilford, CT: Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page 141 - capitalizedusuallyCode name used by British codebreakers during World War 2 for decrypted information gained from the enemy.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjective(used of opinions and actions) far beyond the norm
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Latinūls
- Latinultrā
- Englishultra
From Latin ultra.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Italian ultras, ultrà
- ultrasdevoted sports fan
- ultràdevoted sports fan
Spanish ultra
- ultradevoted sports fan
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
ultra. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ultra
“ultra.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ultra. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ultra,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ultra.
Source: ultra on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.