noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ɛkstəˈnælɪti/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ɛkstɚˈnælɪti/
Australian:/ekstəˈnælɪti/
rhymes with -ælɪti
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being external or externalized.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A thing that is external relative to something else.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
An impact, positive or negative, on any party not involved in a given economic transaction or act.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: economics, sciences
Examples
Waste is a negative externality arising from consumption.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the quality or state of being outside or directed toward or relating to the outside or exterior
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the outwardness of the world
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: outwardness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: position, spatial relation
Narrower terms: worldliness
History
Etymology
From external + -ity. In the economic sense coined by British economist Alfred Marshall in 1890.
Across languages
Translations
26 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Finnish:
ulkopuolisuus
— state of being external
Romanian:
externalitate
— state of being external
Serbo-Croatian:
eksternost
— state of being external
Spanish:
exterioridad
— state of being external
Finnish:
ulkopuolisuus
— thing that is external relative to something else
Finnish:
ulkopuolinen
— thing that is external relative to something else
Serbo-Croatian:
eksternost
— thing that is external relative to something else
Armenian:
արտաքին ազդակ
(artakʻin azdak)
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Catalan:
efecte extern
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Catalan:
externalitat
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Czech:
externalita
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Estonian:
välismõju
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Finnish:
ulkoisvaikutus
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
French:
externalité
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
German:
externer Effekt
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
German:
Externalität
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Khmer:
ពហិភាព
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Romanian:
externalitate
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Russian:
экстерна́лия
(eksternálija)
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Russian:
вне́шний эффе́кт
(vnéšnij effékt)
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Serbo-Croatian:
eksternalija
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Serbo-Croatian:
eksternost
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Spanish:
externalidad
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Swedish:
extern effekt
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Ukrainian:
екстерна́лія
(eksternálija)
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
Ukrainian:
зовнішній ефект
(zovnišnij efekt)
— impact on any party not involved in a given economic transaction
