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

The company spent almost no money on external marketing.

From The Wall Street Journal

A medical report, posted by Aspinall on his Instagram account, external, shows he has been diagnosed with "significant traumatic bilateral Brown's syndrome" and still suffering from "persistent" double vision.

From BBC

In this area, the team excavated two new Edmontosaurus mummies, a younger individual and a somewhat older one, both preserving large, continuous patches of the external skin surface.

From Science Daily

In a post on X, the maritime affairs directorate said the Kairos was "en route to Russia's Novorossiysk" when it reported an "external impact causing a fire 28 nautical miles off" the Turkish coast.

From Barron's

The exact cause of each of the explosions was unclear but Turkey’s transport minister said he had been informed that they were the result of “external impact.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• extraneous
• foreign