adj · noun · 18 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.
/ˈɪnə/non-rhotic
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/ˈɪnɚ/rhotic
[ɪ̃ɾ̃ɚ]rhotic
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
South-Asia:/ˈɪnnə(r)/
rhymes with -ɪnə(ɹ)
homophone: inter- (some dialects)
CMU ARPABET:IH1 N ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Being or occurring (farther) inside, situated farther in, located (situated) or happening on the inside of something, situated within or farther within contained within something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Close to the centre, located near or closer to center.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
the inner suburbs
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Inside or closer to the inside of the body.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
inner ear
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Of mind or spirit, relating to the mind or spirit, to spiritual or mental processes, mental, spiritual, relating to somebody's private feelings or happening in somebody's mind, existing as an often repressed part of one's psychological makeup.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Not obvious, private, not expressed, not apparent, hidden, less apparent, deeper, obscure; innermost or essential; needing to be examined closely or thought about in order to be seen or understood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
inner meaning; inner resources; inner logic
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Privileged, more or most privileged, more or most influential, intimate, exclusive, more important, more intimate, private, secret, confined to an exclusive group, exclusive to a center; especially a center of influence being near a center especially of influence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
inner circle; inner council
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
An inner part.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
A duvet, excluding the cover.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: South-Africa
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
A forward who plays in or near the center of the field.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
A thin glove worn inside batting gloves or wicket-keeping gloves.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
14
adjective satellite
Meaning 14
inside or closer to the inside of the body
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the inner ear
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
15
adjective satellite
Meaning 15
located inward- Leonard Bernstein- David Denby- A.R.Gurney,Jr.
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Beethoven's manuscript looks like a bloody record of a tremendous inner battle
she thinks she has no soul, no interior life, but the truth is that she has no access to it
an internal sense of rightousness
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: interior, internal
Antonyms: none provided
16
adjective satellite
Meaning 16
innermost or essential
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the inner logic of Cubism
the internal contradictions of the theory
the intimate structure of matter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: internal, intimate
Antonyms: none provided
17
adjective satellite
Meaning 17
exclusive to a center; especially a center of influence
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
inner regions of the organization
inner circles of government
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
18
adjective satellite
Meaning 18
confined to an exclusive group
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
privy to inner knowledge
inside information
privileged information
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: inside, privileged
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English inner, ynner, ynnere, from Old English innera, comparative of inne (“within”), from Proto-Indo-European *h1en.
Capitalization of inner, from Middle English inner, ynner, ynnere, from Old English innera, comparative of inne (“within”), from Proto-Indo-European *h1en. A demonym for an inhabitant of inner planets of the Solar System.
Across languages
Translations
75 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
داخلى
— being or occurring inside
Armenian:
ներքին
(nerkʻin)
— being or occurring inside
Belarusian:
уну́траны
(unútrany)
— being or occurring inside
Bulgarian:
вътрешен
(vǎtrešen)
— being or occurring inside
Catalan:
interior
— being or occurring inside
Czech:
vnitřní
— being or occurring inside
Dutch:
binnen-
— being or occurring inside
Dutch:
binnenste
— being or occurring inside
Esperanto:
ena
— being or occurring inside
Esperanto:
interna
— being or occurring inside
Even:
дог
(dog)
— being or occurring inside
Evenki:
догу
(dogu)
— being or occurring inside
Finnish:
sisäpuolinen
— being or occurring inside
Finnish:
sisä-
— being or occurring inside
Finnish:
sisempi
— being or occurring inside
French:
intérieur
— being or occurring inside
Georgian:
შიდა
(šida)
— being or occurring inside
German:
inner
— being or occurring inside
Gothic:
𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌿𐌼𐌰
(innuma)
— being or occurring inside
Greek:
εσωτερικός
(esoterikós)
— being or occurring inside
Ancient Greek:
ἐσωτερικός
(esōterikós)
— being or occurring inside
Hindi:
आंतरिक
(āntrik)
— being or occurring inside
Hindi:
अंतः
(antaḥ)
— being or occurring inside
Hungarian:
belső
— being or occurring inside
Hungarian:
benti
— being or occurring inside
Italian:
interno
— being or occurring inside
Northern Kurdish:
navî
— being or occurring inside
Latin:
penitus
— being or occurring inside
Manchu:
ᡩᠣᡵᡤᡳ
(dorgi)
— being or occurring inside
Mongolian:
дотоод
(dotood)
— being or occurring inside
Nanai:
довой
(dowoj)
— being or occurring inside
Occitan:
interior
— being or occurring inside
Polish:
wewnętrzny
— being or occurring inside
Portuguese:
interno
— being or occurring inside
Portuguese:
interior
— being or occurring inside
Romanian:
intern
— being or occurring inside
Romanian:
interior
— being or occurring inside
Romanian:
lăuntric
— being or occurring inside
Russian:
вну́тренний
(vnútrennij)
— being or occurring inside
Spanish:
interior
— being or occurring inside
Swedish:
inre
— being or occurring inside
Telugu:
లోపలి
(lōpali)
— being or occurring inside
Turkish:
iç
— being or occurring inside
Ottoman Turkish:
ایچ
(iç)
— being or occurring inside
Ottoman Turkish:
داخل
(dâhil)
— being or occurring inside
Ukrainian:
вну́трішній
(vnútrišnij)
— being or occurring inside
Esperanto:
profunda
— close to the centre, located near or closer to center
Finnish:
sisä-
— close to the centre, located near or closer to center
Finnish:
sisempi
— close to the centre, located near or closer to center
Ottoman Turkish:
ایچ
(iç)
— close to the centre, located near or closer to center
Ottoman Turkish:
داخل
(dâhil)
— close to the centre, located near or closer to center
Dutch:
binnen-
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Dutch:
inwendig
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Finnish:
sisä-
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
French:
interne
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
French:
intérieur
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Northern Kurdish:
navî
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Spanish:
interno
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Spanish:
interior
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Ottoman Turkish:
ایچ
(iç)
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Ottoman Turkish:
داخل
(dâhil)
— inside or closer to the inside of the body
Dutch:
innerlijk
— relating to the mind or spirit
Esperanto:
anima
— relating to the mind or spirit
Finnish:
sisäinen
— relating to the mind or spirit
Greek:
εσώψυχος
(esópsychos)
— relating to the mind or spirit
Spanish:
interior
— relating to the mind or spirit
Dutch:
verborgen
— not obvious, private
Finnish:
syvempi
— not obvious, private
Finnish:
sisäinen
— not obvious, private
Finnish:
sisä-
— more or most privileged, influential, exclusive
Finnish:
sisäpiiri-
— more or most privileged, influential, exclusive
