internal

[ in-tur-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 ( def 4 ).
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.

noun

1. Usually internals. entrails; innards.
2. an inner or intrinsic attribute.

internal

/ 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

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ˌinterˈnality, noun
• inˈternally, adverb

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of internal¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of internal¹

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

Example Sentences

Indeed, Troye isn’t completely alone in speaking out against the administration’s coronavirus response from an internal perspective.

From Washington Post

An internal USPS audit found that over a million ballots were mailed to voters late in the 2020 primaries, including hundreds that arrived after the election.

From ProPublica

Evaluate the effectiveness of your internal search, taking notice of how it finds and organizes the content after a search.

From Search Engine Watch

Other documents, the statement said, were withheld to protect the board’s internal deliberative processes.

From ProPublica

To keep users engaged, make sure to produce high-quality copy with plenty of visuals and internal links.

From Search Engine Land

Turn the heat down to 325°F and continue cooking until internal temperature reads 140°F on a thermometer.

From The Daily Beast

The result was a system not open to alternatives from the outside and with no internal incentives for innovation.

From The Daily Beast

A secular police state well practiced in suppressing internal challenges.

From The Daily Beast

Ground glass is put in food to cause internal bleeding, and nicotine concentrated by boiling can cause a heart attack.

From The Daily Beast

What is much more important than these numbers is an internal dynamic for which there are no statistics.

From The Daily Beast

Under the internal pressure his whiskers stood on end and his face grew red.

From Project Gutenberg

At that time one of his high-pressure puffer-engines, with a cylindrical boiler and internal tube, was working in Staffordshire.

From Project Gutenberg

The boilers were Trevithick's cylindrical with internal tube, wholly of wrought iron.

From Project Gutenberg

The boiler was cylindrical, of wrought iron, with internal fire-tube and external brick flues; and gave steam of about 40 lbs.

From Project Gutenberg

Uttering these words, the good lady pointed distractedly to the cupboard, and underwent a convulsion from internal spasms.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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