Located on or relating to the outside of something. It can also refer to things coming from outside a person, group, or system.
From Latin *externus* ‘outward, outer’, from *exter* ‘on the outside’. It contrasts with *internal*, which comes from *internus* ‘inward’.
External is always defined by a boundary: it’s what lies beyond the line. When people talk about ‘external validation,’ they’re literally saying their sense of worth is coming from outside their own mental walls.
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