interior

Pluralinteriors

1. 1
   the insidenouncountable

   The inner part of an enclosed structure, such as a building, a container, or a cavern.

   The cathedral's interior was lit by hundreds of flickering candles.

   Engineers inspected the interior of the storage tank for cracks.

   UsageUsually the interior of something or a car's or building's interior. The opposite is exterior.

   Similarinside

   Oppositeexterior, outside

2. 2
   adjective

   Describing something that lies or happens on the inside of something else, such as a wall, room or surface, rather than on its outside.

   The building's interior staircase connects all five floors.

   Interior lighting transformed the once-dark gallery into a warm space.

   UsageUsed before a noun: interior walls, an interior door, interior design. The opposite is exterior.

   Similarinner, inside, internal, inward

   Oppositeexterior, outer, outside, external

3. 3
   inland regionnouncountable

   The inner regions of a country, far from its borders or coasts.

   Vast rivers drain the continent's interior toward the distant sea.

   The expedition mapped the unexplored interior over many months.

   UsageUsually the interior, often with a place: the African interior, travel deep into the interior.

   Similarhinterland, heartland, backcountry

   Oppositecoast

   Note

   The noun usually takes the and often a place name, as in Sir Richard Burton exploring far into the African interior. It is the noun partner of the inland adjective, so the interior parts of a country and the interior of a country mean the same thing. Backcountry, upcountry and hinterland come close, but they are near-synonyms rather than exact substitutes. Source

   Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Sir Richard Burton explored the African interior. en.wikipedia.org
4. 4
   adjective

   Describing a place, people or area found inland, far from a country's coast or borders.

   Interior provinces depend on rail links to reach the distant ports.

   The interior plateau remains cut off through the long winter months.

   Similarinland

   Oppositecoastal

5. 5
   adjective

   Within a country, concerned with its own domestic affairs rather than with relations abroad.

   The interior ministry issues national identity cards and keeps the register of voters.

   Before the war, the empire's interior trade grew faster than its trade with other nations.

   Similarhome, domestic, internal

   Oppositeforeign, external

   Note

   Government titles are where this sense lives: an interior minister, a ministry of the interior, the United States Department of the Interior. Here the interior is the nation's own business, borders and coasts included, not the inland regions far from them. Offices with similar names can differ in scope: Britain's Home Office, which does not use the word at all, has broader responsibilities than the American department.

Showing meanings only. Show all 6