periphery
Americannoun
-
the external boundary of any surface or area.
- Synonyms:
- perimeter, circumference
- Antonyms:
- center
-
the external surface of a body.
- Antonyms:
- center
-
the edge or outskirts, as of a city or urban area.
-
the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question.
The preliminary research did not, of course, take me beyond the periphery of my problem.
-
Anatomy. the area in which nerves end.
noun
-
the outermost boundary of an area
-
the outside surface of something
-
anatomy the surface or outermost part of the body or one of its organs or parts
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of periphery
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Late Latin peripherīa, from Greek periphéreia “circumference,” literally, “a bearing round,” from peri- peri- + phér(ein) “to bear” + -eia -y 3; replacing Middle English periferie, from Medieval Latin periferīa, variant spelling of Late Latin peripherīa
Explanation
When something is on the periphery of your vision, you can only see it when you’re looking sideways. Periphery means outside the boundary of something. If you’re on the periphery of a group, you’re close to it but not part of it. A band on the periphery of a particular scene might have opened for another band a few times, but it's never headlined or gotten their big break. Periphery comes from a Greek word meaning "to carry around."
Vocabulary lists containing periphery
The Kite Runner
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Human Geography - High School
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The Devil's Arithmetic
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Revolution spread from the imperial center to the colonial periphery, rather than the reverse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Communications professionals, previously relegated to the periphery, are now front and center in the C-suite, partly emboldened by CEOs’ fears that even the smallest misstep can swiftly balloon into a corporate disaster.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
In a ditch near a military outpost on Obeid’s periphery, an army engineer walked through a graveyard of RSF drones shot down in recent days.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
But the previous conflicts were fought on the periphery, away from Khartoum.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
Mrs. de Vries is one of those people who behave as if the war is a nuisance happening in the periphery around her.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
