internal

[ in-tur-nl ]
See synonyms for: internalinternals on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. situated or existing in the interior of something; interior.

  2. of, relating to, or noting the inside or inner part.

  1. Pharmacology. oral (def. 4).

  2. existing, occurring, or found within the limits or scope of something; intrinsic: a theory having internal logic.

  3. of or relating to the domestic affairs of a country: the internal politics of a nation.

  4. existing solely within the individual mind: internal malaise.

  5. coming from, produced, or motivated by the psyche or inner recesses of the mind; subjective: an internal response.

  6. Anatomy, Zoology. inner; not superficial; away from the surface or next to the axis of the body or of a part: the internal carotid artery.

  7. present or occurring within an organism or one of its parts: an internal organ.

noun
  1. Usually internals. entrails; innards.

  2. an inner or intrinsic attribute.

Origin of internal

1
First recorded in 1500–10; from Medieval Latin internālis, equivalent to Latin intern(us) intern3 + ālis -al1

Opposites for internal

Other words from internal

  • in·ter·nal·i·ty, in·ter·nal·ness, noun
  • in·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-in·ter·nal, adjective
  • qua·si-in·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • sem·i-in·ter·nal, adjective
  • sem·i-in·ter·nal·ly, adverb
  • sub·in·ter·nal, adjective
  • sub·in·ter·nal·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with internal

Words Nearby internal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use internal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for internal

internal

/ (ɪnˈtɜːnəl) /


adjective
  1. of, situated on, or suitable for the inside; inner

  2. coming or acting from within; interior

  1. involving the spiritual or mental life; subjective

  2. of or involving a nation's domestic as opposed to foreign affairs

  3. education denoting assessment by examiners who are employed at the candidate's place of study

  4. situated within, affecting, or relating to the inside of the body

noun
  1. a medical examination of the vagina, uterus, or rectum

Origin of internal

1
C16: from Medieval Latin internālis, from Late Latin internus inward

Derived forms of internal

  • internality or internalness, noun
  • internally, adverb

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