outer

[ou-ter]

See more synonyms for outer on Thesaurus.com

adjective

situated on or toward the outside; external; exterior: outer garments; an outer wall.
situated farther out or farther from the center: the outer reaches of space.
of or relating to the external world.

Origin of outer

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at out, -er⁴

Related formsout·er·ness, noun

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

Related Words for outer

exterior, outlying, alien, beyond, extraneous, extrinsic, outermost, outside, outward, over, peripheral, remote, superficial, surface, without, outmost, exoteric

Examples from the Web for outer

Contemporary Examples of outer

The twins themselves, played beautifully by Erin Davie and Emily Padgett, are our inner voice and outer voice, says Condon.
Can Condon's Freak Show Win Broadway?
Tim Teeman
November 18, 2014
Indeed there is a pre-Hispanic ceremonial site located a scant 400 meters from the outer edge of the Otomí Lake & Villas property.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali
Jason McGahan
October 19, 2014
An agent on the outer perimeter radios in that the motorcade is in sight.
Behind the Scenes With a ‘Site Agent’: The Secret Service’s Hardest Job
Marc Ambinder
October 2, 2014
Finding good wifi in the Outer Hebrides is about as common as finding someone between the ages of 18 and 30.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality
Noah Caldwell
September 18, 2014
The play, which won several Tony Awards when it first premiered in 1979, deals with human dignity and inner and outer beauty.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and More
Janice Kaplan
September 11, 2014

Historical Examples of outer

They were putting on outer clothes from the store-room to protect them from the dirt and damp.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
The fiend prevailed; and Prudence vanished into the outer darkness.
John Inglefield's Thanksgiving
Nathaniel Hawthorne
In two days he found one egg on the outer skin of the grape.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884
Various
The outer gate was shut, and all the blinds on the front of the house were closed.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
The ship had a good run from off Mahon to Leghorn where we anchored in the outer roads.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for outer

outer

adjective (prenominal)

being or located on the outside; external
further from the middle or central part

noun

archery
1. the white outermost ring on a target
2. a shot that hits this ring
Australian the unsheltered part of the spectator area at a sports ground
on the outer Australian and NZ informal excluded or neglected

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 outer

adj.

late 14c., comparative of out (on analogy of inner), replacing by 18c. forms descended from Old English uttera (comp. of Old English ut "out") which developed into utter and was no longer felt as connected with out. Outer space first attested 1901 in writings of H.G. Wells.