WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
in•ter•nal /ɪnˈtɜrnəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- situated or existing in the interior of something;
of or relating to the inside or inner part:the internal organs of the body. - Government of or relating to the domestic affairs of a country:[before a noun]a bureau of internal affairs.
- relating to or occurring within an organization, as a corporation:an internal memo from one department head to another.
- Drugs to be taken into the body, esp. orally:[before a noun]medicine for internal use only.
in•ter•nal
(in tûr′nl),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
in′ter•nal′i•ty, in•ter′nal•ness, n.
in•ter′nal•ly, adv.
- situated or existing in the interior of something;
interior. - of, pertaining to, or noting the inside or inner part.
- Drugs[Pharm.]oral (def. 4).
- existing, occurring, or found within the limits or scope of something;
intrinsic:a theory having internal logic. - Governmentof or pertaining to the domestic affairs of a country:the internal politics of a nation.
- existing solely within the individual mind:internal malaise.
- coming from, produced, or motivated by the psyche or inner recesses of the mind;
subjective:an internal response. - Anatomy, Zoologyinner;
not superficial;
away from the surface or next to the axis of the body or of a part:the internal carotid artery. - Anatomy, Zoologypresent or occurring within an organism or one of its parts:an internal organ.
n.
- Usually, internals. entrails;
innards. - an inner or intrinsic attribute.
- Medieval Latin internālis, equivalent. to Latin intern(us) intern3 + ālis -al1
- 1500–10
in•ter′nal•ly, adv.
'internally' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
annelid
- Brunei
- die
- digital computer
- golden section
- hydropathy
- IDP
- inwardly
- within
- agnolotti
- animal
- benzoin
- bilocular
- bleed
- endocrine
- endogenous
- epicycle
- hormone
- hypocycloid
- incretion
- life
- mar
- psoas
- vesicant
- scintiscanner