1
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
2
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
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Recent Examples of external
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, in his successful and plainly unconstitutional 2024 reelection bid, expanded external voting through online balloting, increasing diaspora votes by 87-fold over the previous election.
—
Michael Paarlberg, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Its delay is a win for Mayor Kirk Watson, who is separately pushing to pass a city ordinance requiring external audits.
—Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
Volunteers also demonstrated how an automated external defibrillator, or AED, works.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Perhaps that’s because modern architecture rarely has the kind of adornments that might prompt a builder to consider including a Chicago Municipal Device somewhere in the external design.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for external
Michael Paarlberg, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Its delay is a win for Mayor Kirk Watson, who is separately pushing to pass a city ordinance requiring external audits.
—Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026
Volunteers also demonstrated how an automated external defibrillator, or AED, works.
—Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Perhaps that’s because modern architecture rarely has the kind of adornments that might prompt a builder to consider including a Chicago Municipal Device somewhere in the external design.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 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
-
Although both are important in their own right, research from Personality and Individual Differences demonstrates that when people begin depending on extrinsic motivations like external feedback to gauge their success, their anxiety increases.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For observers within that path, daylight will briefly give way to darkness, temperatures will dip, and the sun's outer atmosphere — the corona — will become visible to the naked eye.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This causes the outer layers of the star to expand and cool, evolving into a red giant, while the interior of the core heats up, intensifying the rate of fusion within it.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Szoboszlai’s opener will sit alongside Daniel Sturridge’s effort from the 2016 Europa League final against Sevilla in Basel in the vault of stunning Liverpool goals that were ultimately deemed irrelevant by the result.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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In this landscape, organizations such as the CDC, which once stood as unimpeachable examples of government competence, have become victims of their own success, appearing to skeptics to be inert or irrelevant.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These parts include the arm segments, mounting brackets, and exterior panels.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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Crews spent about two years repairing it — replacing brick in the Cenotaph’s interior frame, fixing a drainage system, putting marble exterior stones that had shifted back in place and cleaning stones and carvings.—
Madison Iszler,
San Antonio Express-News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Unlike in previous crises, Cuba’s regime lacks foreign partners that can step in to help, according to Robert Munks, head of Americas research at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The center said most of the suspects were Syrian or Iraqi, though there were other foreign nationals from Europe as well as Australia, Canada and the United States, among other countries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Individuals are much more price-sensitive and willing to forgo extraneous expenses when spending their own money.—
Chris Pope,
Washington Post,
10 Feb. 2026
-
No middle name, no hyphen, no extraneous vowels, three syllables played on a drum.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Although individual plants have a lifespan of 30-90 years, adventitious shoots grow up from roots.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
5 July 2025
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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
-
These pressures are not accidental.—
Steve Hershey,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Why This Moment Matters The timing of this shift isn’t accidental.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“External.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/external. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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