external
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
Outside of something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihksturnuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪksˈtɝnəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
usually in the plural
The exterior; outward features or appearances.
“He enjoyed the solemn externals of religion.”
Outward appearance.
Inessential or superficial features.
adjective
Outside of something; on the exterior.
Provided by something or someone outside of the entity (object, group, company etc.) considered.
Happening or arising or located outside or beyond some limits or especially surface
anatomy
Situated near or toward the surface of the body.
pharmacologyrelational
Relating to or denoting a medicine or similar substance for use on the outside of the body.
Capable of being perceived outwardly.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The exterior; outward features or appearances.
Used this way, external is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He enjoyed the solemn externals of religion.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “external of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: external of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use external
- “The external auditory canal.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A heat engine in which ignition occurs outside the chamber (cylinder or turbine) in which heat is converted to mechanical energy.
A drive with its own power supply and fan mounted outside the computer system enclosure and connected to the computer by a cable.
The part of the ear visible externally.
Occurs in some mollusks and in tadpoles and other immature amphibians.
The outer branch of the common iliac artery on either side of the body.
A continuation of the femoral vein.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.