interior
/ɪnˈtɪərɪə
/adjective
1Situated on or relating to the inside of something; inner: the interior lighting is not adequate...
- Moments later the door was lying in the courtyard and officers burst inside through an interior set of double glass doors.
- The church roof has been repaired and interior redecoration of the inside will start this year in the New Year.
- Installation of the door requires that a hole be cut through the siding on the outside, and through the drywall or other interior wallcovering on the inside.
Synonyms
inside, inner, internal, intramural;
on the inside
1.1 (interior to) chiefly technical Situated further in or within: the layer immediately interior to the epidermis...
- Symmetric asters are shown in the deep interior region (green arrows).
- A narrow marginal band that is darker in color than the interior region of the shell appears in the example.
1.2(In filming) indoor: interior scenes...
- It's quite exciting actually - they are filming mainly interior shots in two houses owned by the university.
- The film's long interior dialogue scenes, shot on traditional sets, are less convincing.
- The few brightly lit interior scenes in the film happen in hospital corridors; these tend to be too bright and look a bit washed out.
2 [attributive] Remote from the coast or frontier; inland: the interior jungle regions...
- Crossing these landscapes are the meandering valleys of the rivers Avon, Stour, and Frome that link the south coast with the interior heartland of southern England.
- Toward the eastern coast there is an interior belt of green, hilly country that contains the Cape and Natal midlands.
- It's a disturbing, yet spiritual, journey; an almost surreal baring of the natural frontier akin to an interior landscape.
Synonyms
inland, inshore, upcountry, non-coastal, inner, innermost, central;
remote, wild
3Relating to a country’s internal affairs: the interior minister...
- In a letter to the conference of German interior ministers, Amnesty International comes to similar conclusions regarding the situation in Afghanistan.
- For this reason it is quite possible that there will be no bargaining between the president and the minister of interior affairs - chief secretary for the special services.
- Britain was to the fore in pushing for the ratification of more than 30 measures discussed last Thursday by EU home affairs and interior ministers.
Synonyms
internal, home, domestic, national, state, civil, local
4Existing or taking place in the mind or soul; mental: an interior monologue...
- He provides us with an interior view of his mind as he sculpts with resin, light and shadow in his dramatic exhibition.
- I spent many years making mechanicals by hand and they truly are a reflection of the interior mind of their creator.
- We have a poverty of soul today, of interior feelings.
Synonyms
inner, spiritual, mental, psychological, emotional, private, personal, intimate, secret, hidden;
instinctive, intuitive, impulsive, involuntary, spontaneous
informal gut
noun
1The inner part of something; the inside: the interior has been much restored...
- The nose and side moldings help offer an aggressive look while the interior of the car is understated and functional.
- Against common sense and regulations, the interiors of the cars were built with flammable materials.
- The trend is just one example of car interiors becoming much more interesting.
Synonyms
inside, inner part, inner area, depths, recesses, bowels, belly;
centre, middle, nucleus, core, heart
informal innards
1.1An artistic representation of the inside of a building or room: a few still lifes, interiors, and landscapes...
- I'll come back to this subject when I've done landscapes, buildings, interiors and flowers.
- Jowett's work included landscapes, interiors, and flower pieces in oils and watercolour.
- Vuillard's interiors with their strong decorative elements echo those of Matisse.
2 (the interior) The inland part of a country or region: the plains of the interior...
- Apecchio is a small town in the interior of the Pesaro region.
- The Caribs roamed the heavily forested regions of the interior.
- Wooden shoes are an item of traditional dress among rural dwellers in the interior of the region.
Synonyms
centre, heartland, hinterland;
wilderness, wilds;
in Australia and Africa bush
3 (the interior) The internal affairs of a country: the Minister of the Interior...
- The DOS hold nine of the portfolios including ministerial post for the economy, foreign affairs and the interior.
- In return, however, it has taken 17 of 30 ministerial posts, including the key positions of foreign affairs, defence and interior.
- The ministers of defense, interior and foreign affairs are all from the same area.
Derivatives
interiorize
/ (also interiorise) verb ...- Yet even without the former inhabitants the church seems to have interiorized the natural powers of a living land; it is steeped in them.
- For Sartre, every action aiming to transform the inhuman into the human must, in the first instance, interiorise a particular inhumanity.
- Worst, however, it interiorizes the private sphere, the locus for irrationality and anglophobia.
interiorly
- It then travels interiorly in the hypochondriac region, emerging at the lateral side of the lower abdomen near the femoral artery in the inguinal region.
- The holotype has a lower, flat band along the outer margins of the calyx and, as it is interiorly filled with sediments, shows considerable relief in the middle part.
- This new dynamic choice will profoundly affect the person's life not only interiorly, but also exteriorly.
Origin
Late 15th century: from Latin, 'inner', comparative adjective from inter 'within'.