inner

American  

[in-er] / ˈɪn ər /

adjective

1. situated within or farther within; interior.

   an inner door.

2. more intimate, private, or secret.

   the inner workings of the organization.

3. of or relating to the mind or spirit; mental; spiritual.

   the inner life.

4. not obvious; hidden or obscure.

   an inner meaning.

5. noting or relating to an aspect of a person's mind or personality that has not been fully discovered, revealed, or expressed.

   a place where anyone can find their inner artist regardless of skill level.

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inner British  

/ ˈɪnə /

adjective

1. being or located further inside

   an inner room

2. happening or occurring inside

   inner movement

3. relating to the soul, mind, spirit, etc

   inner feelings

4. more profound or obscure; less apparent

   the inner meaning

5. exclusive or private

   inner regions of the party

6. chem (of a compound) having a cyclic structure formed or apparently formed by reaction of one functional group in a molecule with another group in the same molecule

   an inner ester

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noun

1. Also called: red.  archery

   1. the red innermost ring on a target

   2. a shot which hits this ring

Other Word Forms

• innerly adverb
• innerness noun

Etymology

Origin of inner

before 900; Middle English; Old English innera, comparative based on the adv. inne within, inside; inmost , -er ⁴

Example Sentences

The rest of us can only speculate about his inner turmoil.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sports heroes face inner demons as the rest of us do but sometimes have to deal with them publicly.

From The Wall Street Journal

The velvet was soft and the inner lining held a secret pocket, which Nine had explained was for emergency food, because if human children didn’t eat constantly, they became ferocious beasts.

From Literature

These are some of the places around Los Angeles that still keep his inner comics-nerd satiated and musical curiosity fed — no matter what bleak news is blowing up his phone.

From Los Angeles Times

Studies point to wearables’ tendency to induce “self-tracking anxiety” or “health data anxiety,” the byproduct of too much information about one’s inner workings.

From The Wall Street Journal