exogenous
Americanadjective
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originating from outside; derived externally.
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Botany.
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(of plants, as the dicotyledons) having stems that grow by the addition of an annual layer of wood to the outside beneath the bark.
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pertaining to plants having such stems.
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belonging to the exogens.
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Pathology. (of a disease) externally caused rather than resulting from conditions within the organism.
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Biochemistry. of or noting the metabolic assimilation of proteins or other metabolites, the elimination of nitrogenous catabolites being in direct proportion to the amount of metabolites taken in.
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Geology. exogenetic.
adjective
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having an external origin
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biology
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developing or originating outside an organism or part of an organism
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of or relating to external factors, such as light, that influence an organism
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psychiatry (of a mental illness) caused by external factors
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of exogenous
Explanation
Something that's exogenous comes from somewhere else, from outside. If your village practices exogenous marriage, you'll need to find a mate from another village, one outside your own. Exogenous is the opposite of endogenous. If your village traditions favor endogenous marriage, you’ll marry somebody from your own village. In biology and medicine, especially psychiatry, the word exogenous is used to describe outside factors, something that originates from outside the organism. When you're identifying causes of disease, toxins in your environment would be exogenous causes (they come from outside you), while genetic predisposition (something inside you) would be considered an endogenous cause.
Vocabulary lists containing exogenous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then an exogenous shock to the system happens and access to capital closes as stock prices fall and credit spreads widen.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
Fear-surfing is an aggressive trading strategy that is intended to generate big returns on securities with high implied volatility created by exogenous events.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
For patients with severe cases that are difficult to control with exogenous insulin, doctors can perform islet cell transplants, which include beta cells.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 2, 2026
In Solow’s model, the big driver of growth was technological change, but it was exogenous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
They all have an acrid sap or juice, exogenous plants, with many stamens.
From A Red Wallflower by Susan Warner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
