externalize
verb
ex·ter·nal·ize
ek-ˈstər-nə-ˌlīz 
externalized; externalizing
1
: to make external or externally manifest
2
: to attribute to causes outside the self : rationalize
externalized his lack of ability to succeed
Examples of externalize in a Sentence
an actress with an expressive face that wonderfully externalizes a wide range of emotions
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead of internalizing these labels, externalize them.
—
Dale Wilsher, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Its members would have to commit to managing their economies in ways that would not externalize the costs of their own domestic policies.
—Michael Pettis, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
The more couples learned to externalize BPD — seeing it as a challenge that exists outside the relationship instead of as problem in it — the stronger their emotional bond became.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
In a movie characters have to externalize their thinking, but that’s not real life.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for externalize
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Dale Wilsher, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Its members would have to commit to managing their economies in ways that would not externalize the costs of their own domestic policies.
—Michael Pettis, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
The more couples learned to externalize BPD — seeing it as a challenge that exists outside the relationship instead of as problem in it — the stronger their emotional bond became.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
In a movie characters have to externalize their thinking, but that’s not real life.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for externalize
Cite this Entry
“Externalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/externalize. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
externalize
transitive verb
ex·ter·nal·ize
variants
or British externalise
externalized or British externalised; externalizing or British externalising
1
a
: to transform from a mental image into an apparently real object (as in hallucinations) : attribute (a mental image) to external causation
externalizing an obsession
b
: to invent an explanation for (an inner problem whose actual basis is known only subconsciously) by attributing to causes outside the self : rationalize, project
externalized his failure
2
: to direct outward socially
externalized her anger
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