exterior
[ik-steer-ee-er]
- outer; being on the outer side: the exterior surface; exterior decorations.
- intended or suitable for outdoor use: exterior paint.
- situated or being outside; pertaining to or connected with what is outside: the exterior territories of a country.
- the outer surface or part; outside.
- outward form or appearance: She has a placid exterior, but inside she is tormented.
- Mathematics. the collection of points not contained in the closure of a given set.
Origin of exterior
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. outward, outside, external, superficial. 3. outlying, extraneous, foreign; extrinsic. 4. face. 5. mien, aspect.
Antonyms
1, 4. interior.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for exterior
Contemporary Examples
There is none of the jutting out of decks and balconies, and feeling of exterior bulk that is so familiar to mega-yachts.
After leaving Biba in 1976, she became a well-known interior and exterior designer in the revival of the Miami Art Deco District.
The dogs have been fried in soybean oil until their exterior skin begins to develop a sensuous crunch.
In any case, they bring the exterior of the house to life with bursts of color and control the light and views from inside.
A source said the couple plans on spending double on the interior of their home as the exterior, The Daily Mail reported.
Historical Examples
Hawarden is called a Castle, but it has not, either in its exterior or interior, the aspect of a Castle.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
The exterior is not remarkable, but the beauty of the internal ornament is most striking.
Yorkshire Painted And DescribedGordon Home
This change, if it deteriorated his mind, improved his exterior.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
It was a large house; but low and straggling; and unpretending in its exterior.
Henry DunbarM. E. Braddon
The Tuttle person under an exterior geniality was rather abrupt.
Ruggles of Red GapHarry Leon Wilson
exterior
- a part, surface, or region that is on the outside
- the observable outward behaviour or appearance of a person
- a film or scene shot outside a studio
- of, situated on, or suitable for the outsideexterior cleaning
- coming or acting from without; externalexterior complications
- of or involving foreign nations
Word Origin
C16: from Latin, comparative of exterus on the outside, from ex out of
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for exterior
adj.
1520s, from Latin exterior, comparative of exterus "on the outside, outward, outer, of another country, foreign," itself a comparative of ex "out of" (see ex-). As a noun from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper