ex|tent ◆◇◇ / I kste nt/
1 N‑SING If you are talking about how great, important, or serious a difficulty or situation is, you can refer to the extent of it. □ [+ of ] The government itself has little information on the extent of industrial pollution. □ [+ of ] The full extent of the losses was disclosed yesterday.
2 N‑SING The extent of something is its length, area, or size. □ [+ of ] Their commitment was only to maintain the extent of forests, not their biodiversity.
3 PHRASE You use expressions such as to a large extent , to some extent , or to a certain extent in order to indicate that something is partly true, but not entirely true. [VAGUENESS ] □ It was and, to a large extent, still is a good show. □ To some extent this was the truth.
4 PHRASE You use expressions such as to what extent , to that extent , or to the extent that when you are discussing how true a statement is, or in what ways it is true. [VAGUENESS ] □ It's still not clear to what extent this criticism is originating from within the ruling party. □ To that extent they helped bring about their own destruction.
5 PHRASE You use expressions such as to the extent of , to the extent that , or to such an extent that in order to emphasize that a situation has reached a difficult, dangerous, or surprising stage. [EMPHASIS ] □ He said he didn't like the president, but not to the extent of wanting to kill him. SYNONYMS extent NOUN 1
scale: However, he underestimates the scale of the problem.
magnitude: No one realized the magnitude of the problem.
degree: These barriers will ensure a very high degree of protection.
leveclass="underline" The exercises are marked according to their level of difficulty.
amount: I still do a certain amount of work for them
ex|tenu|at|ing / I kste njue I t I ŋ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that there are extenuating circumstances for a bad situation or wrong action, you mean that there are reasons or factors which partly excuse it. [FORMAL ] □ The defendants admitting their guilt, but insisted that there were extenuating circumstances.
ex|te|ri|or / I kst I ə riə r / (exteriors )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The exterior of something is its outside surface. □ In one ad the viewer scarcely sees the car's exterior. □ [+ of ] The exterior of the building was elegant and graceful.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft poss N ] You can refer to someone's usual appearance or behaviour as their exterior , especially when it is very different from their real character. □ According to Mandy, Pat's tough exterior hides a shy and sensitive soul.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] You use exterior to refer to the outside parts of something or things that are outside something. □ The exterior walls were made of pre-formed concrete.
ex|ter|mi|nate / I kstɜː r m I ne I t/ (exterminates , exterminating , exterminated ) VERB To exterminate a group of people or animals means to kill all of them. □ [V n] A huge effort was made to exterminate the rats. ● ex|ter|mi|na|tion / I kstɜː r m I ne I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] …the extermination of hundreds of thousands of their countrymen.
ex|ter|mi|na|tor / I kstɜː r m I ne I tə r / (exterminators ) N‑COUNT An exterminator is a person whose job is to kill animals such as rats or mice, because they are annoying or dangerous.
ex|ter|nal / I kstɜː r n ə l/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] External is used to indicate that something is on the outside of a surface or body, or that it exists, happens, or comes from outside. □ …a much reduced heat loss through external walls. □ …internal and external allergic reactions. ● ex|ter|nal|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ Vitamins can be applied externally to the skin. □ …externally imposed conditions.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] External means involving or intended for foreign countries. □ …the commissioner for external affairs. □ …Jamaica's external debt. □ …the republic's external borders. ● ex|ter|nal|ly ADV [usu ADV after v] □ …protecting the value of the mark both internally and externally.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] External means happening or existing in the world in general and affecting you in some way. □ …a reaction to external events. □ Such events occur only when the external conditions are favorable.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] External experts, for example external examiners , come into an organization from outside in order to do a particular job fairly and impartially, or to check that a particular job was done properly. [mainly BRIT ] ● ex|ter|nal|ly ADV [ADV -ed] □ There must be externally moderated tests.
5 PHRASE If medicine is for external use , it is intended to be used only on the outside of your body, and not to be eaten or drunk.
ex|ter|nal|ize / I kstɜː r nəla I z/ (externalizes , externalizing , externalized ) in BRIT, also use externalise VERB If you externalize your ideas or feelings, you express them openly, in words or actions. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] These are people who tend to externalize blame when anything goes wrong at work.
ex|ter|nals / I kstɜː r nəlz/ N‑PLURAL When you talk about externals , you are referring to the features of a situation that are obvious but not important or central. □ [+ of ] All that the tourists see are the externals of our faith.