Meanings
adjectiveinternal (comparative more internal, superlative most internal)
comparative more internal · superlative most internal · alternative obsolete internall
- Of or situated on the inside.
We saw the internal compartments of the machine.
- Concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation.
An internal investigation was conducted.
- medicineApplied or intended for application through the stomach by being swallowed.
an internal remedy
- UKeducationAttending a university as well as taking its examinations.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehappening or arising or located within some limits or especially surface
Opposite
adjectiveoccurring within an institution or community
Similar
adjectiveinnermost or essential
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- New Latininternālis“of or pertaining to the inner part”
- Middle Englishinternall, internalle
- Englishinternal
From Middle English internall, internalle, borrowing from New Latin internālis (“of or pertaining to the inner part”), from internus (“inward, internal”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). By surface analysis, intern + -al.
More words from Middle English, New Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque barneko
- barnekoinside of something
Bulgarian вътрешен, вътрешен
- вътрешен (vătrešen)within the body
- вътрешен (vătrešen)concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- вътрешен (vătrešen)concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- вътрешен (vătrešen)inside of something
Catalan intern, intern
- internwithin the body
- internconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- interninside of something
Chinese Mandarin 體內 /体内, 內 /内
- 體內 /体内 (tǐnèi)within the body
- 內 /内 (nèi)within the body
Czech vnitřní, domácí
- vnitřníwithin the body
- domácíconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- vnitřníinside of something
Danish indvendig, intern
- indvendiginside of something
- interninside of something
Dutch inwendig, binnenlands
- inwendigwithin the body
- binnenlandsconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- interninside of something
- inwendiginside of something
Esperanto interna, interna
- internawithin the body
- internaconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internaconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- internainside of something
- enainside of something
Finnish sisäinen, sisäinen
- sisäinenwithin the body
- sisäinenconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- sisä-concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- sisäinenconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- sisäineninside of something
- sisä-inside of something
- sisäpuolineninside of something
French interne
- internewithin the body
German inner
- innerinside of something
Greek εσωτερικός, εσωτερικός
- εσωτερικός (esoterikós)within the body
- εσωτερικός (esoterikós)concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- εσωτερικός (esoterikós)concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- εσωτερικός (esoterikós)inside of something
Hebrew פנימי, פנימי
- פנימי (pnimí)within the body
- פנימי (pnimí)concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- פנימי (pnimí)concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- פנימי (pnimí)inside of something
Hindi अंतः, आंतरिक
- अंतः (antaḥ)within the body
- आंतरिक (āntrik)concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- आंतरिक (āntrik)concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- आंतरिक (āntrik)inside of something
Hungarian belső
- belsőinside of something
Italian interno, interno
- internowithin the body
- internoconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internoconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- privatoconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- internoinside of something
Latin internus
- internusinside of something
Latvian iekšējs, iekšējs
- iekšējswithin the body
- iekšējsconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- iekšējsconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- iekšējsinside of something
Māori a roto o te tinana, o roto o te tinana
- a roto o te tinanawithin the body
- o roto o te tinanawithin the body
- taiwhenuaconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- a rotoinside of something
- o rotoinside of something
Norwegian Bokmål intern, intern
- internwithin the body
- internconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- interninside of something
Persian درونی, داخلی
- درونی (darôni)within the body
- داخلی (dâxeli)within the body
- درونی (darôni)inside of something
Polish wewnętrzny, wewnętrzny
- wewnętrznywithin the body
- wewnętrznyinside of something
Portuguese interno, interno
- internowithin the body
- internoconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internoconcerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
- internoinside of something
Romanian intern
- interninside of something
Russian вну́тренний
- вну́тренний (vnútrennij)inside of something
Spanish interno, interior
- internowithin the body
- interiorconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internoconcerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- internoinside of something
Urdu اندرونی, اندرونی
- اندرونی (andrūnī)concerned with the domestic affairs of a nation, state etc.
- اندرونی (andrūnī)concerned with the non-public affairs of a company or other organisation
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with internal
journalexternalkerneleternalcolonelmaternalnocturnalfraternalinfernalpaternalvernaldiurnalternalsternalsupernalanteroexternalanterointernalantesternalasternalchondrosternalcoeternalcoracosternalcostosternalcoxosternal
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
internal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/internal
MLA
“internal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/internal. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “internal,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/internal.
Source: internal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.