interior

[ in-teer-ee-er ]

adjective

1. being within; inside of anything; internal; inner; further toward a center:

   the interior rooms of a house.

   Antonyms: exterior

2. of or relating to that which is within; inside:

   an interior view.

3. situated well inland from the coast or border:

   the interior towns of a country.

4. of or relating to the inland.
5. domestic:

   interior trade.

6. private or hidden; inner:

   interior negotiations of the council.

7. pertaining to the mind or soul; mental or spiritual:

   the interior life.

noun

1. the internal or inner part; inside.

   Antonyms: exterior

2. Architecture.
   1. the inside part of a building, considered as a whole from the point of view of artistic design or general effect, convenience, etc.
   2. a single room or apartment so considered.
3. a pictorial representation of the inside of a room.
4. the inland parts of a region, country, etc.:

   the Alaskan interior.

5. the domestic affairs of a country as distinguished from its foreign affairs:

   the Department of the Interior.

6. the inner or inward nature or character of anything.
7. Mathematics. the largest open set contained in a given set, as the points in a circle not including the boundary.

interior

¹

/ ɪnˈtɪərɪə /

noun

1. a part, surface, or region that is inside or on the inside

   the interior of Africa

2. inner character or nature
3. a film or scene shot inside a building, studio, etc
4. a picture of the inside of a room or building, as in a painting or stage design
5. the inside of a building or room, with respect to design and decoration

adjective

1. of, situated on, or suitable for the inside; inner
2. coming or acting from within; internal
3. of or involving a nation's domestic affairs; internal
4. (esp of one's spiritual or mental life) secret or private; not observable

Interior

²

/ ɪnˈtɪərɪə /

noun

1. the Interior
   the Interior in titles the domestic or internal affairs of any of certain countries

   Department of the Interior

Derived Forms

• inˈteriorly, adverb

Other Words From

• in·te·ri·or·i·ty [in-teer-ee-, awr, -i-tee, -, or, -], noun
• in·teri·or·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of interior¹

First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin, comparative adjective equivalent to inter- “inward” + -ior comparative suffix; exterior

Word History and Origins

Origin of interior¹

C15: from Latin (adj), comparative of inter within

Synonym Study

See inside.

Example Sentences

The exterior duvet is machine washable, but you’ll want to hand-wash the interior blanket.

From Popular-Science

Images of the shell’s interior revealed two holes that had been chipped into spiral layers just beneath the opening, likely to hold the mouthpiece in place.

From Science News

The interior is lined with fleece that contains heat coils that can stay active for up to five hours.

From Popular-Science

As mentioned earlier, toaster ovens reach high temps through high wattage, but this process takes further delicate engineering and is facilitated by using multiple heating elements and placing them in specific areas of the oven’s interior.

From Popular-Science

These hues, often rich and dark, evoke shadowy interiors and midnight skies.

From Washington Post

The interior video shows the gunman firing the shot through the window.

From The Daily Beast

One of its top officials is the current minister of the interior in Baghad.

From The Daily Beast

Justin gazed out from the dim interior as more than 300 police motorcycles from dozens of jurisdictions rumbled past.

From The Daily Beast

Isaacs recently returned from the New Mexico desert after shooting interior scenes for a new TV mini-series called Dig.

From The Daily Beast

“We know the outbreak is still flaming strongly in western Sierra Leone and some parts of the interior of Guinea,” said Nabarro.

From The Daily Beast

A reproduction of Mrs. Charmington herself decorated the interior of the omnibuses.

From Project Gutenberg

I don't know much about the interior arrangements of Kullak's conservatory, because I only went to his own class.

From Project Gutenberg

The contrast between the open street and the enclosed stuffiness of the dim and crowded interior was overwhelming.

From Project Gutenberg

The intensity of this drama, however, being interior, caused little outward disturbance that casual onlookers need have noticed.

From Project Gutenberg

We give an engraving of a kind of pipe used by the natives of interior Africa.

From Project Gutenberg