internal

American  

[in-tur-nl] / ɪnˈtɜr nl /

adjective

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

   Antonyms:

   external

2. of, relating to, or noting the inside or inner part.

   Antonyms:

   external

3. Pharmacology. oral.

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

   a theory having internal logic.

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

   the internal politics of a nation.

6. existing solely within the individual mind.

   internal malaise.

7. coming from, produced, or motivated by the psyche or inner recesses of the mind; subjective.

   an internal response.

8. Anatomy, Zoology. inner; not superficial; away from the surface or next to the axis of the body or of a part.

   the internal carotid artery.

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

   an internal organ.

---

noun

1. Usually internals. entrails; innards.

2. an inner or intrinsic attribute.

internal British  

/ ɪnˈtɜːnəl /

adjective

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. of or involving a nation's domestic as opposed to foreign affairs

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

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

---

noun

1. a medical examination of the vagina, uterus, or rectum

Other Word Forms

• internality noun
• internally adverb
• internalness noun
• quasi-internal adjective
• quasi-internally adverb
• semi-internal adjective
• semi-internally adverb
• subinternal adjective
• subinternally adverb

Etymology

Origin of internal

First recorded in 1500–10; from Medieval Latin internālis, equivalent to Latin intern(us) intern ³ + ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Maxwell-Jolly said the analysis he conducted replicated an internal, unpublished department report tracking vision services between 2015 and 2016.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Instead, it integrates many disparate elements of a business’ enterprise tech stack and internal models or processes, and is able to push out decisions through read-write loops while maintaining compliance and data validation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The initial budget was around £350,000 when the project was agreed in 2022, according to an internal assembly document.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Forty-eight-year-old retailer Eszter Somfai had her home address shared online, after an internal party database with some 200,000 supporters' personal details was leaked last November.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

For a prince should have two fears: one internal, concerning his subjects; the other external, concerning foreign powers.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Related Words

• constitutional
• domestic
• in-house
• intramural
• national
• private
• subjective