externally

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ɪkˈstɜrnəli/ UK /ɪkˈstɜːnəli/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
on or from the outside; in external respects

The ointment is to be applied externally only.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · on or from the outside; in... outwardly superficially outside apparently

Opposites

internally inwardly inside

Word family

Related forms external externalize externality

Etymology

From external + -ly. External derives from Latin externus ('outward, foreign'), from exter ('on the outside'), from ex ('out of').

externus la-med exter Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# externally

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** ɪkˈstɜrnəli
**IPA (UK):** ɪkˈstɜːnəli

## Meanings
1. on or from the outside; in external respects

## Examples
- The ointment is to be applied externally only.

## Synonyms
- outwardly
- superficially
- outside
- apparently

## Antonyms
- internally
- inwardly
- inside

## Related Forms
- external
- externalize
- externality

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: externus
- Root: exter

## Etymology
From external + -ly. External derives from Latin externus ('outward, foreign'), from exter ('on the outside'), from ex ('out of').

## AI Etymology
Externally comes from external + -ly. External derives from Latin externus ('outward, foreign'), from exter ('on the outside'), from ex ('out of'). Morphologically, the account is both compositional and suffixal: -ly marks the visible structure by which the older base becomes the modern form. In present use, it is used as an adverb meaning "on or from the outside; in external respects", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as external, externalize, and externality, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin externus and Latin exter, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by outwardly, superficially, outside, and apparently on one side and contrasts such as internally, inwardly, and inside on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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externally

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