internal

American  

[in-tur-nl] / ɪnˈtɜr nl /

adjective

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

   Antonyms:

   external

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

   Antonyms:

   external

3. Pharmacology.  oral.

4. existing, occurring, or found within the limits or scope of something; intrinsic.

   a theory having internal logic.

5. of or relating to the domestic affairs of a country.

   the internal politics of a nation.

6. existing solely within the individual mind.

   internal malaise.

7. coming from, produced, or motivated by the psyche or inner recesses of the mind; subjective.

   an internal response.

8. 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.

9. present or occurring within an organism or one of its parts.

   an internal organ.

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noun

1. Usually internals. entrails; innards.

2. an inner or intrinsic attribute.

internal British  

/ ɪnˈtɜːnəl /

adjective

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

2. coming or acting from within; interior

3. involving the spiritual or mental life; subjective

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

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

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

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

• internality noun
• internally adverb
• internalness noun
• quasi-internal adjective
• quasi-internally adverb
• semi-internal adjective
• semi-internally adverb
• subinternal adjective
• subinternally adverb

Etymology

Origin of internal

First recorded in 1500–10; from Medieval Latin internālis, equivalent to Latin intern(us) intern ³ + ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Shares of vaccine makers fell Monday after the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine regulator said in an internal memo that the agency would introduce stricter vaccine approval rules.

From Barron's

The bank’s systems for risk management, compliance and internal directives had considerable defects at the time, the office said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The media outlet questioned how long the incident went unnoticed, adding that it "means their internal data protection system barely mattered."

From BBC

That case in the 1980s, known as The Line 300 Affair, involved servicemen from Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, who were pardoned over concerns that state secrets could be exposed in the trial.

From The Wall Street Journal

The study, published November 25 in Neuron, reports that behavior and internal conditions directly influence how visual information is processed.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• constitutional
• domestic
• in-house
• intramural
• national
• private
• subjective