externalization
/ɪkˌstɜːnəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˌstɜːrnələˈzeɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ek-ˌstər-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən/ (ame, mw)
externalization — noun
- externalizationsingular
- externalizationsplural
1. moving an inner feeling, thought, or mood outward through words, behaviour, or a
moving an inner feeling, thought, or mood outward through words, behaviour, or art so others can see it; also a thing produced in this way.
Roya described her abstract paintings as the externalization of grief after her father died.
the externalization of [emotion noun]
Henrik's loud sighs at every meeting were an externalization of his boredom with the project.
an externalization of [internal state]
Dr. Shirin asked Christopher to keep a journal as a daily externalization of his anxiety.
At the Taipei dance festival, the children's piece was praised as the externalization of village memory.
For Amani, baking bread on Sundays became a quiet externalization of love for her family.
- expression
much more common; everyday word for the same idea
- manifestation
formal; emphasises a visible sign rather than the act of releasing
- outpouring
informal; suggests a sudden, emotional release
- internalization
the opposite: keeping feelings or ideas inside instead of showing them
- suppression
actively pushing feelings down so they do not come out
文法句型
the externalization of [noun]
an externalization of [noun]
用法筆記
Subject typically refers to a creative act, a behaviour, or an artwork; the prepositional object names an emotion, mood, or inner experience. Distinguish from sense 2, which is more abstract and process-focused without a clear emotional content.
常見錯誤
2. the process by which something that exists only as an idea, plan, or inner state
the process by which something that exists only as an idea, plan, or inner state takes on a form that other people can see, touch, or react to.
Eliska argued that writing is simply the externalization of half-formed thoughts onto paper.
the externalization of [thought / idea]
Sana built a paper prototype as the first externalization of her food-delivery app idea.
the externalization of [plan / idea]
For Joshua, drawing maps each night was the externalization of a city he had only imagined.
Pair programming forces the externalization of small decisions a coder usually keeps in their head.
Ms. Sofie praised the wall poster as a careful externalization of three weeks of group discussion.
- realization
stronger sense of completing or making something real
- embodiment
more focused on a concrete result than on the process
- materialization
suggests something appearing in physical form, often almost magically
- abstraction
moving the other way: from concrete forms to general ideas
文法句型
the externalization of [abstract noun]
用法筆記
Subject is usually a process, medium, or activity (writing, building, drawing); object names something abstract (ideas, plans, decisions) rather than emotions. Distinguish from sense 1 (which is about emotional release) and sense 3 (which is the resulting concrete object).
常見錯誤
3. a particular object, action, or work that gives clear outward shape to an abstra
a particular object, action, or work that gives clear outward shape to an abstract idea or value, so that people can point to it as proof the idea exists.
The new library is an externalization of the mayor's belief that small towns deserve great books.
an externalization of [belief / value]
Caleb wore his grandfather's old watch as an externalization of family memory.
an externalization of [abstract noun]
Critics called the sculpture a perfect externalization of the city's working-class history.
For Sophia, her vegetable garden became an externalization of the patience she learned from her aunt.
- embodiment
much more common; everyday formal alternative
- manifestation
stresses being a visible sign of something hidden
- symbol
broader; can stand for an idea by convention, not only by physical form
文法句型
an externalization of [abstract noun]
用法筆記
Always countable in this sense; preceded by an indefinite article and followed by 'of + abstract noun' (belief, memory, value, history). Distinguish from sense 2, which names the process rather than the resulting object.