Candice
What's the difference between "external" and "exterior"?
May 8, 2016 7:00 AM
Answers · 3
2
As adjectives, they are synonymous and sometimes interchangeable. You would have to see the words in context to collocate them naturally. "external" and "internal" are often used when referring to a surface e.g. a wall, a layer, the surface of a bodily organ, and you want to distinguish one side of the surface from the other. "exterior" and "interior" are often used when referring to a more general area either side of a boundary or surface. e.g. interior decoration takes place inside a house, and exterior decoration takes place outside a house. "exterior" and "interior" are also used as nouns to refer to areas ("the exterior of....")
May 8, 2016
Exterior - situated outside; the outside part of something 'The exterior of the house needs painting.' External - of, on, for, or coming from the outside 'The external walls of the house need to be painted.'
May 8, 2016
External refers to outside. Exterior refers to the outside of something.
May 8, 2016
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