internal

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Related to internal: Internal Revenue Service, internal hemorrhoids

in·ter·nal

(ĭn-tûr′nəl)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or located within the limits or surface; inner.

2. Residing in or dependent on essential nature; intrinsic: the internal contradictions of the theory.

3. Located, acting, or effective within the body.

4. Of or relating to mental or spiritual nature: "An internal sense of righteousness dwindles into an external concern for reputation" (A.R. Gurney, Jr.).

5. Of or relating to the domestic affairs of a nation, group, or business.

[Middle English internall, from Old French internel, from Medieval Latin internālis, from Latin internus, from inter, within; see en in Indo-European roots.]

in′ter·nal′i·ty (-năl′ĭ-tē) n.

in·ter′nal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

internal

(ɪnˈtɜːnəl)

adj

1. of, situated on, or suitable for the inside; inner

2. coming or acting from within; interior

3. involving the spiritual or mental life; subjective

4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) of or involving a nation's domestic as opposed to foreign affairs

5. (Education) education denoting assessment by examiners who are employed at the candidate's place of study

6. (Anatomy) situated within, affecting, or relating to the inside of the body

(Medicine) a medical examination of the vagina, uterus, or rectum

[C16: from Medieval Latin internālis, from Late Latin internus inward]

ˌinterˈnality, inˈternalness n

inˈternally adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•ter•nal

(ɪnˈtɜr nl)

adj.

1. situated or existing in the interior of something; interior.

2. of or pertaining to the inside or inner part.

3. acting or coming from within.

4. existing, occurring, or found within the limits or scope of something; intrinsic: internal logic.

5. of or pertaining to the domestic affairs of a country.

6. of or produced by the psyche or inner recesses of the mind; subjective.

7. present or occurring within an organism or one of its parts.

8. to be taken inside the body, esp. orally.

9. away from the surface or closer to the center of the body or of a part; inner.

10. Usu., internals. entrails; innards.

11. an inner or intrinsic attribute.

[1500–10; < Medieval Latin internālis, derivative of Latin internus intern³]

in`ter•nal′i•ty, in•ter′nal•ness, n.

in•ter′nal•ly, adv.

interior

– internal

1. 'interior'

The interior of a building or vehicle is the inside part of it.

...the fire that destroyed the interior of the Savoy Theatre.

The car's interior was becoming stuffy.

Interior is often used as an adjective in front of a noun to refer to an inside part of a building or vehicle.

The interior walls were coated with green mould.

I put the interior light on and looked at her.

2. 'internal'

You do not usually use 'interior' to refer to the inside parts of other things. Instead you use internal.

A pig's internal organs match our own in size and weight.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.	1.	internal - happening or arising or located within some limits or especially surface; "internal organs"; "internal mechanism of a toy"; "internal party maneuvering" inside - relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space; "he reached into his inside jacket pocket"; "inside out"; "an inside pitch is between home plate and the batter" external - happening or arising or located outside or beyond some limits or especially surface; "the external auditory canal"; "external pressures"
	2.	internal - occurring within an institution or community; "intragroup squabbling within the corporation" intragroup intramural - carried on within the bounds of an institution or community; "most of the students participated actively in the college's intramural sports program"
	3.	internal - inside the country; "the British Home Office has broader responsibilities than the United States Department of the Interior"; "the nation's internal politics" interior, home, national domestic - of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation; "domestic issues such as tax rate and highway construction"
	4.	internal - located inward; "Beethoven's manuscript looks like a bloody record of a tremendous inner battle"- Leonard Bernstein; "she thinks she has no soul, no interior life, but the truth is that she has no access to it"- David Denby; "an internal sense of rightousness"- A.R.Gurney,Jr. inner, interior inward - relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts; "a concern with inward reflections"
	5.	internal - innermost or essential; "the inner logic of Cubism"; "the internal contradictions of the theory"; "the intimate structure of matter" inner, intimate intrinsic, intrinsical - belonging to a thing by its very nature; "form was treated as something intrinsic, as the very essence of the thing"- John Dewey

internal

adjective

1. domestic, home, national, local, civic, in-house, intramural The country stepped up internal security.

2. inner, inside, interior Some of the internal walls are made of plasterboard.
inner outside, external, outer, exterior, outermost

3. emotional, mental, private, secret, subjective The personal, internal battle is beautifully portrayed.
emotional revealed, exposed, unconcealed

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

internal

adjective

1. Located inside or farther in:

inlying, inner, inside, interior.

2. Of, relating to, or arising from one's mental or spiritual being:

inner, interior, intimate, inward, visceral.

Slang: gut.

3. Of, from, or within a country's own territory:

domestic, home, national, native.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

interno interior

internal

[ɪnˈtɜːnl]

A. ADJ

1. [wall] → interior; [affairs, conflict, divisions] → interno

2. (Med) [bleeding, examination, organ, injury] → interno

B. CPD internal audit N → auditoría f interna
internal combustion engine N → motor m de combustión interna or de explosión
internal market N → mercado m interno or interior
Internal Revenue Service N (US) → Hacienda f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

internal

(inˈtəːnl) adjective

1. of, on or in the inside of something (eg a person's body). The man suffered internal injuries in the accident.interno

2. concerning what happens within a country etc, rather than its relationship with other countries etc. The prime ministers agreed that no country should interfere in another country's internal affairs.interior

inˈternally adverb

internamente

internal combustion

a means of producing power eg in the engine of a motor car by the burning of a fuel gas (eg petrol vapour) inside the cylinder(s) of the engine. combustión interna/de explosión

internal

→ interno

in·ter·nal

a. interno-a, dentro del cuerpo;

___ bleeding → hemorragia ___.

internal

adj interno

References in classic literature ?

Had no external dangers enforced internal harmony and subordination, and particularly, had the local sovereigns possessed the affections of the people, the great kingdoms in Europe would at this time consist of as many independent princes as there were formerly feudatory barons.

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But to comprehend it aright, you must know something of the curious internal structure of the thing operated upon.

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But besides considerations of foreign policy, the attention of Russian society was at that time keenly directed on the internal changes that were being undertaken in all the departments of government.

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There is a wide difference, also, between military establishments in a country seldom exposed by its situation to internal invasions, and in one which is often subject to them, and always apprehensive of them.

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The desired proofs have not yet been adduced, and there is, at present, nothing but internal evidence to guide us.

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These last should arise from the internal structure of the plot, so that what follows should be the necessary or probable result of the preceding action.

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Even to call life "activity," or to define it further as "the continuous adjustment of internal relations to external relations," as Spencer has it, Nietzsche characterises as a "democratic idiosyncracy." He says to define it in this way, "is to mistake the true nature and function of life, which is Will to Power...Life is ESSENTIALLY appropriation, injury, conquest of the strange and weak, suppression, severity, obtrusion of its own forms, incorporation and at least, putting it mildest, exploitation." Adaptation is merely a secondary activity, a mere re- activity (see Note on Chapter LVII.).

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The internal surface is completely vitrified, glossy, and smooth.

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The top shelf in the right-hand corner--oh!' Uttering these words, the good lady pointed, distractedly, to the cupboard, and underwent a convulsion from internal spasms.

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They are no longer the lords of our internal seas, and the great navigators of the wilderness.

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He is suffering from internal inflammation, produced by cold; and symptoms have shown themselves which are dangerous at his age.

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Again, it much assists a prince to set unusual examples in internal affairs, similar to those which are related of Messer Bernabo da Milano, who, when he had the opportunity, by any one in civil life doing some extraordinary thing, either good or bad, would take some method of rewarding or punishing him, which would be much spoken about.

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