extérieure

Extérieure is the feminine singular form of the French adjective extérieur, meaning outside, outer, or external. It designates something located on the exterior of a thing or related to the outside world, as opposed to the interior. The corresponding forms are extérieur (masc.), extérieurs (masc. pl.) and extérieures (fem. pl.).

In usage, extérieure is used to describe features, surfaces, or aspects that are not internal. Common expressions include façade extérieure (exterior facade), surface extérieure (exterior surface), and paroi extérieure (exterior wall). The term appears across domains such as architecture, urban planning, geography, and everyday description, often to distinguish what is on the outside from what lies inside.

As with other French adjectives, extérieure agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. It is frequently found in phrases where precision about location or visibility matters, such as referring to exterior conditions, exterior dimensions, or exterior design.

As a standalone noun, the word extérieure is uncommon in contemporary French; speakers typically use l’extérieur (the exterior) or des surfaces extérieures when the context requires a noun-like expression. The sense conveyed by extérieure is closely aligned with exterior or external, and it contrasts with intérieur/externes in appropriate contexts.

Etymology traces extérieure to the Latin exterior, through Old French, sharing a root with related terms like extérieur and external. See also extérieur, extérieurs, et l’extérieur for related forms and usage.