# inner

Pronunciation: US say "IN-er" /ˈɪnɚ/; UK/AUS say "IN-uh" /ˈɪnə/

## Adjective

1. Located or happening farther inside something, closer to its center than the outer parts.
   - Simple: Found farther inside something, away from the outside edge.
   - _The building's inner courtyard stayed hidden from the busy street._
   - _A second, inner wall protected the fortress when the outer one fell._
2. Located inside the body or nearer to its interior than other parts.
   - Simple: Found inside the body or closer to its center.
   - _The inner ear controls our sense of balance and motion._
   - _Doctors examined the inner lining of her stomach for damage._
3. Situated near or closer to the center of an area rather than its edges.
   - Simple: Close to the middle of something, not near the edges.
   - _Traffic clogs the inner streets of the old city every morning._
   - _The inner lanes of the track are shorter to run._
4. Relating to the mind or spirit, or to a person's private feelings and mental life.
   - Simple: About your private feelings, thoughts, or spirit.
   - _Meditation helped her find a lasting sense of inner peace._
   - _He kept his inner thoughts hidden from everyone around him._
5. Not obvious or openly expressed; a deeper or hidden meaning that must be examined closely to be understood.
   - Simple: Hidden and not easy to see, so you must look closely to understand it.
   - _The poem's inner meaning only appears after several careful readings._
   - _Critics debated the inner logic of the strange, dreamlike film._
6. Belonging to a small, privileged, or influential group with close access to a center of power.
   - Simple: Part of a small, special group close to the people in charge.
   - _Only the president's inner circle knew about the secret deal._
   - _After years of loyalty, she joined the company's inner leadership._

## Noun

7. A part located on the inside of something.
   - Simple: A part that sits on the inside of something.
   - _He removed the cracked inner before fitting a fresh casing._
   - _Rust had eaten away at the pump's inners over the years._
8. A duvet without its removable fabric cover. *(South Africa)*
   - Simple: The soft, padded blanket that goes inside a duvet cover.
   - _She slid the inner into its freshly washed striped cover._
   - _A goose-down inner keeps the bed warm without much weight._
9. An attacking player who plays in or near the center of the field.
   - Simple: In some sports, a front player who stays near the middle of the field.
   - _The inner drifted between the defenders to receive the pass._
   - _A clever inner links the wingers with the central striker._
10. A thin glove worn beneath batting or wicket-keeping gloves in cricket.
   - Simple: A thin glove worn under the thick gloves used in cricket.
   - _The batsman replaced a torn inner between overs._
   - _Wicket-keepers often wear two inners for extra padding._
11. Someone in favor of staying in the European Union rather than leaving it. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A person who wants their country to stay in the European Union.
   - _The inner argued that leaving would damage the country's economy._
   - _Inners and outers clashed in town halls across the country._
12. The second scoring ring on a target, lying between the bull's-eye and the magpie.
   - Simple: On a target, the ring just outside the center bull's-eye.
   - _The marksman's round struck the inner, narrowly missing the bull._
   - _Several inners brought his total close to a winning score._

## Origin

From Middle English inner, from Old English innera, the comparative of inne ("within"), which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁en.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/inner (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).