extrinsic

extrinsic, extraneous, foreign, alien are comparable when they mean external to something or someone or to the true nature or original character of such thing or person.

Extrinsic applies to something which is distinctly outside the thing in question or is derived from something apart from it; thus, a ring may have extrinsic value because of sentimental or historical associations; such extrinsic influences as chance or the assistance of friends may help a man to succeed

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[those] who would persuade us . . . that style is something extrinsic to the subject, a kind of ornamentation laid on— Quiller-Couch

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even life itself might arise from lifeless matter through the influence of favorable extrinsic conditions— Conklin

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Extraneous, though often used interchangeably with extrinsic, applies more specifically to something which is introduced from outside and may or may not be capable of becoming an integral part of the thing

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advance arguments extraneous to the real issue

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water is rarely pure and free from extraneous matter

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style ... is not—can never be— extraneous ornament— Quiller-Couch

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whatever we gain comprehension of, we seize upon and assimilate into our own being . . .; that which had been extraneous is become a part of ourselves— H. B. Alexander

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Foreign applies to something which is so different from the thing under consideration that it is either inadmissible because repellent or, if admitted, incapable of becoming identified with it, assimilated by it, or related to it

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much coal contains foreign matter

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inflammation caused by a foreign body in the eye

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the mysticism so foreign to the French mind and temper— Brownell

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look round our world .... Nothing is foreign: parts relate to whole . . . ; all served, all serving: nothing stands alone— Pope

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Alien applies to something which is so foreign that it can never be made an inherent or an integral part of a thing. The word often suggests repugnance or at least incompatibility or irreconcilableness

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a voluptuous devotionality . . . totally alien to the austerity and penetrating sincerity of the Gospel!— Inge

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he would often adopt certain modes of thought that he knew to be really alien to his nature— Wilde

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Analogous words: external, *outer, outside, exterior, outward: acquired, gained (see GET)

Antonyms: intrinsic

Contrasted words: internal, *inner, inside, inward, interior, intestine