ultra
/ˈʌltrə
/noun informal
1An extremist: ultras in the animal rights movement...
- When liberals in Spain overthrew their king, the ultras pressed the reluctant government for action.
- The latter provision would be used by loyalist ultras to demand that the RUC remove the Irish Tricolour even when it was being displayed in a predominantly nationalist area.
- Gandhi said the state government did not release the ultras unilaterally but with the approval of the country's intelligence agencies, according to a Press Trust of India report.
Synonyms
extremist, radical, fanatic, zealot, diehard, revolutionary, rebel, militant, subversive
2 short for ultramarathon. the best way to tackle an ultra is to divide the race into manageable chunks...
- I thought I would be a natural for ultras.
- I'd been thinking about doing an ultra for several years.
- Despite the longer distances, ultras may actually be easier on the body than running a road marathon.
Origin
Early 19th century: an independent usage of ultra-, originally as an abbreviation of French ultra-royaliste 'ultra-royalist'.