Synonym Chooser

How is the word extrinsic different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of extrinsic are alien, extraneous, and foreign. While all these words mean "external to a thing, its essential nature, or its original character," extrinsic applies to what is distinctly outside the thing in question or is not contained in or derived from its essential nature.

sentimental value that is extrinsic to the house's market value

How do alien and foreign relate to one another, in the sense of extrinsic?

Alien is stronger than foreign in suggesting opposition, repugnance, or irreconcilability.

a practice totally alien to her nature

When could extraneous be used to replace extrinsic?

While in some cases nearly identical to extrinsic, extraneous applies to what is on or comes from the outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an essential part.

arguments extraneous to the issue

When might foreign be a better fit than extrinsic?

Although the words foreign and extrinsic have much in common, foreign applies to what is so different as to be rejected or repelled or to be incapable of becoming assimilated.

techniques foreign to French cuisine

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extrinsic Instead of relying solely on motivation (this video explains the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation), design a routine that incorporates the habits of high performers. Dr. Ruth Gotian, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025 Unfortunately, if all your giving is only in response to being asked, your giving will likely be defensive and outside of your natural motivations (i.e., extrinsic). Shane Enete, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 This is basically relying on negative extrinsic motivation to perform task completion. Eric Wood, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024 When using the extrinsic approaches, the method calculates the ratio of a company’s public market value or sale value relative to the value of a core operating metric, such as revenue or EBITDA. Storm Duncan, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for extrinsic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extrinsic
Adjective
  • Brexit arrived at a moment when internal and external perceptions of the domestic Irish game were beginning to shift.
    Michael Walker, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Premium Resources Ltd Com acknowledges its dependence on external financing to continue its operations and advance its projects, noting the material uncertainties that cast doubt on its ability to continue as a going concern.
    Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The weather’s getting warmer in Montreal, playoff weather, a time of year this group is used to looking for external, irrelevant sources of motivation to play out the string.
    Arpon Basu, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Too long to weed through red herrings and convolutions in the mystery that eventually border on irrelevant.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The patchy and adventitious quality of Jameson’s reconstruction must make clear his difference as a thinker.
    Mark Greif, Harper's Magazine, 26 July 2024
  • The cut appears to have been high enough that the stump should still have enough adventitious buds to regrow.
    Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Adjective
  • Most of its tweaks, apart from the ones made to Snow White, are superfluous; the film nips and tucks set pieces while padding its nearly two-hour run time with extraneous songs and dialogue.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
  • While the series may ultimately feel extraneous to anyone already well-aware of terms like cyberbullying and the manosphere, its technical scope is impressive and purposeful, while its persistent empathy helps the ending feel more like a consoling hug than an outraged admonishment.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • At issue was a high school administrator mistakenly typing the wrong class name on Richardson’s transcript, creating an accidental duplicate.
    Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
  • On Wednesday, People published the one-minute 18-second trailer for the 1880s period piece, which will release May 2. Baldwin, 67, stars as outlaw Harland Rust who finds himself on the run with his young grandson after the 13-year-old is sentenced to hang for an accidental killing.
    Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extrinsic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extrinsic. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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