external

American  

[ik-stur-nl] / ɪkˈstɜr nl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the outside or outer part; outer.

   an external surface.

   Synonyms:

   exterior, outermost

   Antonyms:

   internal

2. Medicine/Medical. to be applied to the outside of a body, as a remedy.

   for external use only.

3. situated or being outside something; acting or coming from without.

   external influences.

   Antonyms:

   internal

4. pertaining to the outward or visible appearance or show.

   external acts of worship.

5. pertaining to or concerned with foreign countries.

   external affairs;

   external commerce.

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

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

   external world.

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noun

1. the outside; outer surface; exterior.

2. something that is external.

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

external British  

/ ɪkˈstɜːnəl /

adjective

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

2. coming or acting from without

   external evidence from an independent source

3. of or involving foreign nations; foreign

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

5. anatomy situated on or near the outside of the body

   the external ear

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

7. (of a student) studying a university subject extramurally

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

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noun

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

2. a student taking an extramural subject

Other Word Forms

• externally adverb
• nonexternal adjective
• nonexternally adverb
• quasi-external adjective
• quasi-externally adverb
• semiexternal adjective
• semiexternally adverb
• subexternal adjective
• subexternally adverb

Etymology

Origin of external

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; equivalent to extern + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Instagram dumps are a talking point between most of the Liverpool squad off the pitch and Ekitike is already a fan favourite, with the content of his dumps, external the talk of social media.

From BBC

The platform stressed that the incident was "unrelated to external hacking or security breaches".

From Barron's

Its appearance, mechanical behavior, surface texture, and ability to change shape can all be adjusted when the material is exposed to external triggers such as heat, solvents, or physical stress.

From Science Daily

ITV flagged to viewers that the adverts would be deployed,, external explaining that "advertising is a key means of compensating for this spending."

From BBC

"Even when I was playing and scoring goals, after games I was helping the kit man pick dirty shirts off the dressing room floor," Milner told the High Performance podcast, external in 2023.

From BBC

Related Words

• extraneous
• foreign