as in manifestation
a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality)
bizarre paintings that are the externalization of a very troubled psyche
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Recent Examples of externalization
Regardless, there’s a clear symbolism to Clark empathizing and embracing a bloated externalization of his own inchoate fury until someone with an outside perspective disturbs his peace, and that fury breaks loose and devours him.
—
Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The trade-off for that short-term satisfaction is the externalization of a thinking process that used to live inside a junior associate’s head.
—Jeff Raikes, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
The cumulative effect could be the gradual externalization of state capacity.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Virtuoso delivers accurate externalization and localization of sound, ensuring mix decisions translate well to loudspeakers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
But this depiction of public shaming feels like a paranoid fantasy, an externalization of May’s guilt, rather than a believable development.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 29 May 2026
The trade-off for that short-term satisfaction is the externalization of a thinking process that used to live inside a junior associate’s head.
—Jeff Raikes, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
The cumulative effect could be the gradual externalization of state capacity.
—Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Virtuoso delivers accurate externalization and localization of sound, ensuring mix decisions translate well to loudspeakers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
But this depiction of public shaming feels like a paranoid fantasy, an externalization of May’s guilt, rather than a believable development.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for externalization
Noun
-
The Cane Ridge Revival would become an epochal moment in American religious history, one of the most visible manifestations of what historians would later refer to as the Second Great Awakening.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
-
The pastor was said to have died of a severe abdominal infection, which could have been a manifestation of Ebola.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The last image was another of the couple together, with Derek once again holding Rumer’s belly.—
Laura Millar,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
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The images showed how quarks carrying different fractions of the pion’s momentum are distributed across the particle.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Externalization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/externalization. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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