SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
extrinsic
adjective
Coming from outside rather than belonging to a thing's essential nature.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Originating outside
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topExtrinsic rewards come from outside the activity; incidental and extraneous also carry other meanings.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See extrinsic in use
The essay separates intrinsic interest from extrinsic rewards.
The next two events suggested a correlation between the number of reminder messages and recorded attendance, but the schedule had changed too. A nearby community gathering was an extrinsic influence that might have brought more people past the library on one evening.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license