outer

[ou-ter]

adjective

1. situated on or toward the outside; external; exterior.

   outer garments; an outer wall.

2. situated farther out or farther from the center.

   the outer reaches of space.

3. of or relating to the external world.

outer

/ ˈaʊtə /

adjective

1. being or located on the outside; external

2. further from the middle or central part

noun

1. archery

   1. the white outermost ring on a target

   2. a shot that hits this ring

2. the unsheltered part of the spectator area at a sports ground

3. informal,  excluded or neglected

Other Word Forms

• outerness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of outer¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; out, -er ⁴

Example Sentences

The administration’s piecemeal campaign to divide and conquer Latin America illustrates all these themes at once, including the likely outer limits of Trumpian power as it collides with 21st-century political reality.

Read more on Salon

Researchers at the University of Kent have shown that it is possible to grow tea in lunar soil, a discovery that could transform how future astronauts live and work in lunar and outer space environments.

Read more on Salon

"The collagen will just sit on the outer layer of your skin, it won't reach the dermis - which is the middle layer."

Read more on BBC

I’m not alone in wanting to test the outer limits of the potato’s versatility.

Read more on Salon

Areas in northern Australia, along with remote communities and outer suburbs of major cities, were particularly at risk, the report said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• exterior 
• outlying