External application only.
Source: tatoeba (21842)
External
/ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/
Synonyms for "external" (170 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (34)
Adjective(11 words)
Noun(3 words)
Verb(3 words)
Strong matches (51)
Adjective(28 words)
external political influenceexternal vector forceextracellular processextramuralextraneousextrinsic tongue muscleextrinsic tongue musclesfacadeforeignforeign bureauforeign chronologyforeign legal entityforeign soilforeign wordinboundinternationalnon canariannon dutch culturenon greeknon mesopotamian
Show 8 more words
non-atheniannon-cretannoneuropeannonfamily networknoninvasive methodnonmembernonorganizationalnonphysiological
Noun(7 words)
foreign studentguest speakersmost foreignmost surface colornon german historynoncomponentnongovernmental group
Determiner(1 words)
non catalan
Related words (85)
Noun(16 words)
nonphysiological systemnonphysiological topicobjective lensoutboardouter layer coatingoutside fieldoutward facingoutward formoutward signperipheral nervous systemphysical appearancephysical qualitysuperficial appearancesurface levelsurface level organizersurface property
nonsubjectiveobjectiveopenoutouterouter faceouter layerouter sideouter skinoutermostoutlandishoutlineoutlyingoutmostoutsideoutstandingoutwardoutward-facingoverperceptible
Adjective(28 words)
objective modifieroutboundoutdoorouterouter crustouter partouter partsouter shellouter surfaceouter surfacesoutgoingoutsideroutwardoutward directionoutward shapeoverboardperipheral conceptperipheral issueperipheral matterperipheral module
Show 8 more words
Preposition(3 words)
outside craft taskoutside danish soiloutside of
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: outside, alien, alien beings, aliens, ambient.
- Sentence evidence is available for external, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "external".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "external"
Keep "external" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "external" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "external", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "external" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
14 entriesMore specific
13 entriesCollocations
12 entriesexternal appearanceexternal assessmentexternal audienceexternal environmentexternal examinerexternal factorexternal factorsexternal influenceexternal reviewerexternal surfaceexternalsthe external
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
5 entriesTranslations
74 translations across 46 languages.
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἐξώτερος adj (outside of something)
Arabic
1 entries- خَارِجِيّ adj (outside of something)
Armenian
1 entries- արտաքին adj (outside of something)
Belarusian
2 entries- во́нкавы adj (outside of something)
- зне́шні adj (outside of something)
Bulgarian
1 entries- въ́ншен adj (outside of something)
Catalan
2 entries- extern adj (outside of something)
- externa adj (outside of something)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 外部的 adj (outside of something)
Czech
2 entries- externí adj (outside of something)
- vnější adj (outside of something)
Danish
3 entries- ekstern adj (outside of something)
- udvendig adj (outside of something)
- udvortes adj (outside of something)
Dutch
2 entries- uiterlijk adj (outside of something)
- uitwendig adj (outside of something)
Esperanto
2 entries- ekstera adj (outside of something)
- malena adj (outside of something)
Faroese
1 entries- ytri adj (outside of something)
Finnish
4 entries- ulko- adj (outside of something)
- ulkoinen adj (outside of something)
- ulkonainen adj (outside of something)
- ulkopuolinen adj (outside of something)
French
1 entries- externe adj (outside of something)
Galician
1 entries- externo adj (outside of something)
Georgian
3 entries- გარე adj (outside of something)
- გარეგანი adj (outside of something)
- გარეთა adj (outside of something)
German
3 entries- außen- adj (outside of something)
- extern adj (outside of something)
- äußerlich adj (outside of something)
Greek
1 entries- εξωτερικός adj (outside of something)
Hungarian
1 entries- külső adj (outside of something)
Icelandic
1 entries- ytri adj (outside of something)
Ido
1 entries- extera adj (outside of something)
Ingrian
1 entries- ulkopooliin adj (outside of something)
Irish
1 entries- imeachtrach adj (outside of something)
Italian
1 entries- esterno adj (outside of something)
Japanese
2 entries- 外側の adj (outside of something)
- 外部の adj (outside of something)
Kazakh
1 entries- тысқары adj (outside of something)
Korean
1 entries- 외부의 adj (outside of something)
Latin
2 entries- exter adj (outside of something)
- externus adj (outside of something)
Manchu
1 entries- ᡨᡠᠯᡝᡵᡤᡳ adj (outside of something)
Māori
3 entries- a waho adj (outside of something)
- mōwaho adj (outside of something)
- o waho adj (outside of something)
Occitan
2 entries- extèrna adj (outside of something)
- extèrne adj (outside of something)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- ظاهر adj (outside of something)
Persian
2 entries- بیرونی adj (outside of something)
- بیگانه adj (outside of something)
Pitcairn-Norfolk
1 entries- ekstirnal adj (outside of something)
Polish
1 entries- zewnętrzny adj (outside of something)
Portuguese
1 entries- externo adj (outside of something)
Romanian
1 entries- extern adj (outside of something)
Russian
2 entries- вне́шний adj (outside of something)
- нару́жный adj (outside of something)
Serbo-Croatian
3 entries- vànjskī adj (outside of something)
- èkstērnī adj (outside of something)
- ìzvanjskī adj (outside of something)
Slovak
2 entries- externý adj (outside of something)
- vonkajší adj (outside of something)
Spanish
1 entries- externo adj (outside of something)
Swedish
3 entries- extern adj (outside of something)
- utvändig adj (outside of something)
- yttre adj (outside of something)
Telugu
1 entries- బహిర్గత adj (outside of something)
Ukrainian
1 entries- зо́внішній adj (outside of something)
Urdu
1 entries- بیرونی adj (outside of something)
West-Frisian
3 entries- ekstern adj (outside of something)
- uterlik adj (outside of something)
- útwindich adj (outside of something)
Sample sentences
20 total sentences available.
External pressure grows ever more intense.
Source: tatoeba (21845)
Save it on the external hard drive.
Source: tatoeba (21846)
There is no external influence in that.
Source: tatoeba (50441)
Showing 4 of 20 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "external"?
Closest matches include outside, alien, alien beings, aliens, ambient.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "external"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.