external

[ ik-stur-nl ]

/ ɪkˈstɜr nl /

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See synonyms for: external / externals / externally 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR external

1 outermost, exterior.

See synonyms for external on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR external

1, 3 internal.

See antonyms for external on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of external

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

OTHER WORDS FROM external

ex·ter·nal·ly, adverbnon·ex·ter·nal, adjective, nounnon·ex·ter·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-ex·ter·nal, adjective

qua·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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH external

extraneous, external , extrinsic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use external in a sentence

Individual companies may be able to turn external shocks into lemonade.
Why investing in supply chain resilience pays off|lbelanger225|November 16, 2020|Fortune
If you don’t have insurance, XpresCheck’s fee is $75 for the PCR or $90 for the PCR and antibody test, plus $50 to $100 in external lab fees.
Here’s what you need to know about getting a coronavirus test at the airport|Andrea Sachs|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Branding is an essential part of external communications, but it should also be acknowledged for internal communication plans.
Internal communication plan: How SMB marketing teams can achieve growth|Ronita Mohan|November 12, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Unfortunately, she and other experts told me, in this case, a planned external review was on a collision course with the surge in coronavirus cases that hit the nation over the last month.
Pfizer’s Vaccine Announcement Was Always Going To Be Political|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 10, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Don’t toss out that old drive when you’re done, though—you can put it in a USB enclosure and use it as an external drive for backups, extra storage for your gaming PC, or as a way to hand stuff off to your friends.
Rip out your computer’s brain and turn it into an external hard drive|Whitson Gordon|November 10, 2020|Popular-Science
That announcement dealt a huge blow to our morale internally and to the case that we made to minority voters externally.
The Valerie Jarrett I Know: How She Saved the Obama Campaign and Why She’s Indispensable|Joshua DuBois|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Third, to justify a killing, the target would also have to be "externally focused."
David's Bookclub: Kill or Capture|David Frum|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Times was forced to shift into full-blown damage-control mode, both internally and externally.
Augusta’s Weird Culture War Ends With Membership for Rice, Moore|Michelle Cottle|August 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They will probably try to keep things calm externally while the succession maneuvering takes place.
North Korea's Youthful New Leader Kim Jong-Un Faces Nuclear Test|Eli Lake|December 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The next questions are around issues that might threaten that peace—not only externally, but also from within a community.
How the Gambia is Fighting FGC|Julia Lalla-Maharajh|February 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The flowers grow in clusters from the extremities of the stalk; they are yellow externally and of a delicate red within.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
I ordered lukewarm baths, frequent fomentations, and the use of oil and soap, applied externally and rubbed into the body.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
In the autumn of 1863, after a visit to Apukhtin, Tchaikovsky returned to Petersburg, externally and inwardly a changed man.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
Externally, Tchaikovskys life had remained unchanged during this period.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
It is a very humble, plain-looking edifice externally; and internally it is equally unassuming.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus

British Dictionary definitions for external

external

/ (ɪkˈstɜːnəl) /

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 forms of external

externally, 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

external

OTHER WORDS FOR external

OPPOSITES FOR external

Origin of external

OTHER WORDS FROM external

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH external

Words related to external

How to use external in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for external

Derived forms of external

Word Origin for external