EXTERNAL Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

external

adjective

ek-ˈstər-nᵊl

Definition of external

as in extrinsic

not being a vital part of or belonging to something the defendant's socioeconomic status must be regarded as entirely external to his guilt or innocence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Silver succeeds Raju Prasad, who is stepping down from the company to pursue external opportunities. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Following backlash, Crawford removed the post from her X timeline on Sunday afternoon and apologized for violating the network’s standards, amid complaints from internal and external critics about the post to CBS News leadership. — semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Clarity gauges whether or not the diamond has of internal imperfections or external flaws, and carat weight, the most obvious of them all, provides insight into the actual metric weight of the diamond. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Stopping testosterone abruptly without PCT leaves the body in a temporary state of hypogonadism, meaning external testosterone is gone but natural production hasn’t restarted yet. — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for external

Recent Examples of Synonyms for external

Adjective

Educational psychology provides a useful framework for understanding this phenomenon through the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

— Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Extrinsic rewards, such as grades, do so because extrinsic desires tend to crowd out intrinsic ones.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026

Definition of extrinsic

Adjective

Holding her tongue is not Kate’s forte in general, and the severity of Todd’s avalanche of blunders in their meeting with the British foreign secretary tests the outer limits of her ability.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Electrons from outer shells then fell into those vacancies, releasing energy as X-rays.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of outer

Adjective

There is an accumulation of food debris on exterior surfaces of oven in kitchen.

— NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
The ornamentation, both exterior and interior, is taken from the Late Classic and Earlv Post-Classic periods of the Mayan civilization in Meso-America, according to the national register.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of exterior

Adjective

Beirut's private-press scene has little in common with the studio culture of ’80s Tokyo, where an abundance of resources and technology filtered the same foreign influences into something more perfect and polished.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Reuters reported that Tesla’s work in China could also complicate things, as Starlink technology is used in foreign conflicts and the company has a relationship with the Pentagon.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of foreign

Adjective

McAuliffe, now a breast cancer surgeon and clinical investigator at Emory University, said that surgeons encounter a lot of extraneous information in the electronic health record — but the nudge was simple.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
That some narrative moves are obvious, some unconvincing and some just extraneous does not get in the way of a good time.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of extraneous

Adjective

The task for the printmakers, led by Erik Hougen, Jeremy Ruiz, and Tom Smith, was to reproduce the jottings, corrections, and accidental smears on Safdie’s notecard as faithfully as possible, and also to scale it up in size.

— Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Good news for Boeing, but could this accidental monopoly be a potential disaster waiting to happen?

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2026