Adjacent Words

Extrinsic definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXTRIN'SIC
EXTRIN'SICAL, a. [L. extrinsecus.] External; outward; not contained in or belonging to a body. Mere matter cannot move without the impulse of an extrinsic agent. It is opposed to intrinsic.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: not forming an essential part of a thing or arising or originating from the outside; "extrinsic evidence"; "an extrinsic feature of the new building"; "that style is something extrinsic to the subject"; "looking for extrinsic aid" [ant: intrinsic, intrinsical]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: French & Late Latin; French extrinsèque, from Late Latin extrinsecus, from Latin, adverb, from without; akin to Latin exter outward and to Latin sequi to follow — more at exterior, sue Date: 1613 1. a. not forming part of or belonging to a thing ; extraneous b. originating from or on the outside; especially originating outside a part and acting upon the part as a whole <extrinsic muscles of the tongue> 2. external • extrinsically adverb Synonyms: extrinsic, extraneous, foreign, alien mean external to a thing, its essential nature, or its original character. extrinsic applies to what is distinctly outside the thing in question or is not contained in or derived from its essential nature <sentimental value that is extrinsic to the house's market value>. extraneous applies to what is on or comes from the outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an essential part <arguments extraneous to the issue>. foreign applies to what is so different as to be rejected or repelled or to be incapable of becoming assimilated <techniques foreign to French cuisine>. alien is stronger than foreign in suggesting opposition, repugnance, or irreconcilability <a practice totally alien to her nature>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 not inherent or intrinsic; not essential (opp. INTRINSIC). 2 (often foll. by to) extraneous; lying outside; not belonging (to). 3 originating or operating from without. Derivatives: extrinsically adv. Etymology: LL extrinsicus outward f. L extrinsecus (adv.) f. exter outside + secus beside

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Extrinsic Ex*trin"sic, a. [L. extrinsecus; exter on the outside + secus otherwise, beside; akin to E. second: cf. F. extrins[`e]que. See Exterior, Second.] 1. Not contained in or belonging to a body; external; outward; unessential; -- opposed to intrinsic. The extrinsic aids of education and of artificial culture. --I. Taylor. 2. (Anat.) Attached partly to an organ or limb and partly to some other part? -- said of certain groups of muscles. Opposed to intrinsic.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Extrinsic reasons, forces, or factors exist outside the person or situation they affect. (FORMAL) Nowadays there are fewer extrinsic pressures to get married. = external ? intrinsic ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a.; (also extrinsical) External, outward, extraneous, foreign.

Moby Thesaurus

acquired, adrift, alien, apparent, barbarian, barbaric, barbarous, beside the mark, beside the point, beside the question, conventionalized, cortical, epidermic, exomorphic, exotic, exterior, external, extraneous, extraorganismal, extraterrestrial, foreign, foreign-born, formal, formalist, formalistic, formulary, fringe, immaterial, impersonal, impertinent, inadmissible, inapplicable, inapposite, inappropriate, incidental, inconsequent, intrusive, irrelative, irrelevant, legalistic, nihil ad rem, nominal, nonessential, nonsubjective, not at issue, objective, off the subject, open, out, out-of-the-way, outer, outermost, outland, outlandish, outlying, outmost, outside, outstanding, outward, outward-facing, parenthetical, pedantic, peripheral, public, roundabout, seeming, strange, stylized, superficial, surface, ulterior, unearthly, unessential, unrelated