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interior

[in-teer-ee-er]
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adjective
  1. being within; inside of anything; internal; inner; further toward a center: the interior rooms of a house.
  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.
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noun
  1. the internal or inner part; inside.
  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.
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Origin of interior

1480–90; < Latin, comparative adj. equivalent to inter- inward + -ior comparative suffix; see exterior
Related formsin·te·ri·or·i·ty [in-teer-ee-awr-i-tee, -or-] /ɪnˌtɪər iˈɔr ɪ ti, -ˈɒr-/, nounin·te·ri·or·ly, adverb

Synonyms

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8. See inside.

Antonyms

1, 8. exterior.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for interiors

interior

noun
  1. a part, surface, or region that is inside or on the insidethe 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
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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
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Derived Formsinteriorly, adverb

Word Origin

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

Interior

noun
  1. the Interior (in titles) the domestic or internal affairs of any of certain countriesDepartment of the Interior
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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 interiors

interior

n.

"part of a country distant from the coast," 1796, from interior (adj.); meaning "inside of a building or room" is from 1829.

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interior

adj.

late 15c., from Middle French intérieur and directly from Latin interior "inner, interior, middle," comparative adjective of inter "within" (see inter-). Meaning "of the interior parts of a country" is from 1777; meaning "internal affairs of a country or state" (as in U.S. Department of the Interior) is from 1838. Interior decoration first attested 1807. Interior design from 1927.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper