as in manifestation
a visible representation of something abstract (as a quality)
bizarre paintings that are the externalization of a very troubled psyche
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Recent Examples of externalization
The trade-off for that short-term satisfaction is the externalization of a thinking process that used to live inside a junior associate’s head.
—
Jeff Raikes, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Art is an externalization of our imagination and need to express ourselves.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Virtuoso delivers accurate externalization and localization of sound, ensuring mix decisions translate well to loudspeakers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
But this depiction of public shaming feels like a paranoid fantasy, an externalization of May’s guilt, rather than a believable development.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Interludes in which the accusing faces of prisoners silently fill the frame act as a sort of externalization of his survivor’s guilt.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Jeff Raikes, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Art is an externalization of our imagination and need to express ourselves.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Virtuoso delivers accurate externalization and localization of sound, ensuring mix decisions translate well to loudspeakers.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
But this depiction of public shaming feels like a paranoid fantasy, an externalization of May’s guilt, rather than a believable development.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024
Interludes in which the accusing faces of prisoners silently fill the frame act as a sort of externalization of his survivor’s guilt.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for externalization
Noun
-
This entry further defines community radio and then discusses its origins and its manifestations throughout the world.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In Cavarocchi’s practice, womanhood is seen as a manifestation of nature, with landscapes playing a role in healing trauma and reflecting cyclical rhythms of regeneration.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But in this day and age of college football, with name, image and likeness deals keeping kids in college and depleting draft classes … are there really any reaches outside of the first 20 picks?—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Between Hubble's first image of the Trifid taken in 1997 and this new image, astronomers have been able to measure the speed of the jet and see how its size and structure have changed during the intervening 29 years.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Externalization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/externalization. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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