extrinsic
/eksˈtrɪnzɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /eksˈtrɪnzɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /ek-ˈstrin-zik -ˈstrin(t)-sik/ (ame, mw)
extrinsic — adjective
- extrinsicpositive
- more extrinsiccomparative
- most extrinsicsuperlative
1. starting from or caused by something outside a person, group, or situation, rath
starting from or caused by something outside a person, group, or situation, rather than being a natural or essential part of it; the opposite of intrinsic.
Talia argued that pay raises are extrinsic rewards and rarely build long-term motivation at work.
attributive use: extrinsic + noun (reward / factor)
The committee blamed the project's failure on extrinsic factors such as the weather and the supplier strike.
common collocation: extrinsic factors
Ignacio said the painting's true value was extrinsic to its frame and depended on the story behind it.
Many students learn faster when teachers reduce extrinsic pressure and let curiosity drive the lesson.
Beauty, she insisted, is extrinsic to a person's worth and should never decide who gets the job.
- external
much more common in everyday speech; 'extrinsic' is the formal academic term
- outside
informal everyday equivalent
- extraneous
stresses that the thing is irrelevant or unwanted, not just external
文法句型
extrinsic to + noun
用法筆記
Frequently paired with abstract nouns like factor, reward, motivation, value, pressure. Often contrasted directly with intrinsic in the same sentence.
常見錯誤
2. in medical writing, describing a cause, agent, or influence that comes from some
in medical writing, describing a cause, agent, or influence that comes from somewhere outside the body, rather than from inside it.
Dr. Yara explained that allergens are an extrinsic cause of asthma, not something the body makes itself.
medical: extrinsic cause vs. intrinsic cause
The textbook described radiation and chemicals as extrinsic agents that can damage healthy cells.
collocation: extrinsic agent
Asher's eczema turned out to be the extrinsic type, triggered by soap and dust in the air.
Many heart problems have both extrinsic causes, like diet, and intrinsic ones inside the heart muscle.
- exogenous
stricter medical term for things produced outside the body
- environmental
everyday alternative when talking about disease causes
- intrinsic
from inside the body itself
- endogenous
medical term for produced from inside
文法句型
extrinsic + noun (cause, factor, agent)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by domain: this sense appears in clinical writing about diseases, allergens, and toxins. Almost always attributive with medical nouns like cause, agent, factor.
3. in anatomy, used of a muscle that begins at one body part but moves a different,
in anatomy, used of a muscle that begins at one body part but moves a different, nearby part — for example, muscles that start on the forearm but move the fingers.
Sari learned in class that extrinsic muscles of the hand actually start up in the forearm.
anatomy: extrinsic muscles of the hand
The eye relies on six extrinsic muscles attached to the skull to swing it left, right, up, and down.
collocation: extrinsic muscles of the eye
Lotte's physiotherapist said her finger pain came from tight extrinsic muscles in the lower arm.
The tongue has both extrinsic muscles that move it and intrinsic muscles that change its shape.
- intrinsic
muscle lying wholly within the part it moves
文法句型
extrinsic + muscle / muscles
用法筆記
Only appears in anatomy and physiotherapy contexts. Always attributive and almost always modifying 'muscle(s)'. Contrast with intrinsic muscles, which lie entirely inside the part they move.