external.
Outside of something; on the exterior.
Meaning & usage
Outside of something; on the exterior.
This building has some external pipework.
Outside of something; on the exterior. Situated near or toward the surface of the body.
Outside of something; on the exterior. Relating to or denoting a medicine or similar substance for use on the outside of the body.
Capable of being perceived outwardly. Having merely the outward appearance of something.
Capable of being perceived outwardly. Not intrinsic or essential.
Provided by something or someone outside of the entity (object, group, company etc.) considered.
external authority, external force
Relating to or connected with foreign nations or institutions.
external trade or commerce; the external relations of a state or kingdom
Having existence independent of the mind.
external reality
For or concerning students registered with and taking the examinations of a university but not resident there.
external degrees
Not contained in the main computer.
Using a disk or tape drive rather than the main memory.
Where this word comes from
From Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin externus (“outward, external”), from exter/exterus (“on the outside, outward”).
The exterior; outward features or appearances. Inessential or superficial features.
The exterior; outward features or appearances. Outward appearance.
A variable that is defined in the source code but whose value comes from some external source.
Where this word comes from
From Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin externus (“outward, external”), from exter/exterus (“on the outside, outward”).
Try it on your idea.
external has 8 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.