external

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external

/ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/ UK
/ɛkˈstɜː.nəl/ UK
/ɛkˈstɜɹ.nəl/ Canada, US
/ɪkˈstɜɹ.nəl/ Canada, US
/ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/ Australia
/ekˈstɜː.nəl/ Australia

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nəl

Where it comes from

From Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin externus (“outward, external”), from exter/exterus (“on the outside, outward”).

adjective more external · most external · externall

Outside of something; on the exterior. This building has some external pipework.
Situated near or toward the surface of the body.
relational Relating to or denoting a medicine or similar substance for use on the outside of the body.
Having merely the outward appearance of something.
Similar: superficial
Not intrinsic or essential. The external circumstances are greatly different.
Similar: accidental, accompanying, adscititious, external, extraneous, extrinsic
Provided by something or someone outside of the entity (object, group, company etc.) considered. external authority, external force
Relating to or connected with foreign nations or institutions. external trade or commerce; the external relations of a state or kingdom
Similar: foreign
Having existence independent of the mind. external reality
For or concerning students registered with and taking the examinations of a university but not resident there. external degrees
of a hardware Not contained in the main computer.
Similar: peripheral
of storage Using a disk or tape drive rather than the main memory.

Opposite: internal

noun externals · externall

plural normally Inessential or superficial features. To a non-Christian who has never experienced but only observed the externals of Christianity, it appears to be merely another spiritual system, but to a person who has left one of the other religions and embraced the Christian faith, it is most definitely The Way, and all else pales to insignificanc
plural normally Outward appearance. They had been such declared, such personal enemies, that, even in a court, it seemed wonderful how a decent external could be given to their reconciliation.
in the C language A variable that is defined in the source code but whose value comes from some external source.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: exogenous, international, outside, outer, outward, extrinsic, extraneous, foreign, internal, membranes, outpatient, field, rim, marker, state, ambient

adjective

Opposite: internal

Translations

Every language

adj outside of something

Español	externo
한국어	외부의 oebu-ui
日本語	外側の sotogawa no, 外部の gaibu no
中文	外部的 wàibù de
Português	externo
Français	externe
Deutsch	außen-, extern, äußerlich
Italiano	esterno
Ελληνικά	εξωτερικός exoterikós
Română	extern
Русский	вне́шний vnéšnij, нару́жный narúžnyj
العربية	خَارِجِيّ ḵārijiyy

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MLA

"external." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/external. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

external. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/external

Chicago

"external." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/external.

BibTeX

@misc{external_2026,
  title = {external},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/external},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}