external

[ik-stur-nl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR external ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to the outside or outer part; outer: an external surface.

Medicine/Medical. to be applied to the outside of a body, as a remedy: for external use only.

situated or being outside something; acting or coming from without: external influences.

pertaining to the outward or visible appearance or show: external acts of worship.

pertaining to or concerned with foreign countries: external affairs; external commerce.

Zoology, Anatomy. on the side farthest from the body, the median line, or the center of a radially symmetrical form.

Metaphysics. of or relating to the world of things, considered as independent of the perceiving mind: external world.

noun

the outside; outer surface; exterior.

something that is external.

externals, external features, circumstances, etc.; outward appearance; superficialities.

Origin of external

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at extern, -al¹

Related formsex·ter·nal·ly, adverbnon·ex·ter·nal, adjective, nounnon·ex·ter·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-ex·ter·nal, adjectivequa·si-ex·ter·nal·ly, adverbsem·i·ex·ter·nal, adjectivesem·i·ex·ter·nal·ly, adverbsub·ex·ter·nal, adjectivesub·ex·ter·nal·ly, adverb

Can be confusedextraneous external extrinsic internal intrinsic

Synonyms for external

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR external ON THESAURUS.COM

1. outermost, exterior.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for external

extraneous, foreign, independent, over, surface, alien, exterior, peripheral, out, apparent, outer, outermost, outward, superficial, visible, outmost

Examples from the Web for external

Contemporary Examples of external

While preaching D.A.R.E. in schools, we made a drug out of external validation.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating
Ellie Schaack
January 1, 2015
The Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-35 have differing configurations and rely on an external gun pod.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019
Dave Majumdar
December 31, 2014
However useful they might be for external purposes, they will always be dangerous internally.
Pakistan’s Dance With Terrorists Just Backfired and Killed 132 Children
Chris Allbritton
December 17, 2014
He wants to know every external detail, even if the escape is ultimately to be shot on a sound stage.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
After all, the Prince of necessity had to focus on defeating his external enemies.
Valerie Jarrett, Obama Consigliere—and Democracy Killer
James Poulos
November 12, 2014

Historical Examples of external

The external things of life seem to me now of no importance at all.
De Profundis
Oscar Wilde
The essence of truth cannot be affected by the variation of external circumstances.
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
There is no more reason to believe in oneself than in the external world.
Initiation into Philosophy
Emile Faguet
Even the refuge in God does not always secure us from external suffering.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
If it is an imperfect word, no external circumstance can heighten its value as poetry.
The Lyric
John Drinkwater

British Dictionary definitions for external

external

adjective

of, situated on, or suitable for the outside; outer

coming or acting from withoutexternal evidence from an independent source

of or involving foreign nations; foreign

of, relating to, or designating a medicine that is applied to the outside of the body

anatomy situated on or near the outside of the bodythe external ear

education denoting assessment by examiners who are not employed at the candidate's place of study

Australian and NZ (of a student) studying a university subject extramurally

philosophy (of objects, etc) taken to exist independently of a perceiving mind

noun

(often plural) an external circumstance or aspect, esp one that is superficial or inessential

Australian and NZ a student taking an extramural subject

Derived Formsexternally, adverb

Word Origin for external

C15: from Latin externus outward, from 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 external

adj.

early 15c. (implied in externalle), from Middle French externe or directly from Latin externus "outside, outward" (from exterus; see exterior) + -al (1). This version won out over exterial. Related: Externally.

external in Medicine

external

[ĭk-stûr′nəl]

adj.

Relating to, connected with, or existing on the outside; exterior.