Definition of externalnext
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as in outer
situated on the outside or farther out the external chambers of the ancient tomb gave little indication of the magnificence of the innermost chamber

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of external Penn State researchers addressed this by making their hydrogels extremely thin, only 20 micrometers per layer, allowing more power generation without external supports. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026 Since its value relies on a mix of scarcity, institutional money flow, mining economics, trading volume, and external events, its price is inherently jumpy and hard to pin down in the not-so-distant future. K.h. Koehler, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026 The university will soon issue a request for proposals for a master plan, said Michelle Willard, chief of external relations and interim senior associate vice president for university communications. Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026 The practice left the company exposed to cash-flow disruptions, increased its dependence on external financing, and became a vehicle for fraud, the indictment alleges. Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for external
Recent Examples of Synonyms for external
Adjective
  • Early longevity studies analyzed groups of people who were born in a time of widespread extrinsic mortality.
    Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Common in the Ninth Circuit, the extrinsic test looks at comparison, context and, in a case like this, specific plot elements.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Kevin Carter | Getty Images Shrinking sales For more than a decade, consumers have been buying fewer groceries from the inner aisles of the grocery store, instead focusing on the outer aisles with fresh produce and protein.
    Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2026
  • The outer material is 100 percent cotton, and the interior is a thick polyester fleece.
    Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • For example, in learning contexts, adaptive forgetting, or the ability to let go of irrelevant information, can actually improve cognitive performance overall.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Trump’s detractors may dismiss these bonds as empty or irrelevant.
    Daniel Yudkin, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • But in 2023, thieves stole the copper wiring and electrical wiring from the exterior and interior of the restaurant.
    Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The exterior lobby has many windows that let in natural light.
    Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Immigration and Integration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said 315 foreign criminals from countries outside the European Union had received sentences of more than a year over the last five years but were not expelled.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Under the order, the Commerce Department will determine whether a foreign country is supplying oil to Cuba, either directly or through intermediaries.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • No middle name, no hyphen, no extraneous vowels, three syllables played on a drum.
    Raven Smith, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Since both of those earlier years were influenced by a strong El Niño event, this one will have the dubious distinction of being the hottest without such an extraneous force.
    Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
  • Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 July 2025
  • The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
    Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
Adjective
  • Despite the humor Stiller brings to all of his projects, the physical comedy was anything but accidental.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
  • This ambiguity is not accidental.
    Marc Schneier, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“External.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/external. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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