exogenous

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Caused by factors coming from outside the body, system, organism, or model rather than from inside it.

   Grammar: Usually sits before a noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem; contrast endogenous for an inside cause.

   Patterns

   • exogenous factors
   • exogenous to something
   • an exogenous shock

   The illness was linked to exogenous stress rather than a genetic weakness.

   Analysts warned that an exogenous shock could hurt the whole supply chain.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounbiology

   In biology, originating outside an organism rather than being produced within it.

   Grammar: Mostly modifies scientific nouns such as hormone, source, infection, or stimulus.

   Patterns

   • exogenous hormone
   • exogenous infection
   • exogenous source of something

   Doctors ruled out an exogenous source of the allergic reaction.

   The experiment tested how plants respond to exogenous signals.

3. 3adjectivebefore a nounfinancebusiness

   In economics or finance, coming from outside the market, country, or model being studied.

   Grammar: Common in reports and academic models; the opposite is endogenous, meaning driven inside the system.

   Patterns

   • exogenous variable
   • exogenous growth
   • exogenous demand

   Oil prices were treated as an exogenous variable in the forecast.

   The policy paper examines exogenous demand after a currency collapse.

Common combinations

exogenous factors

Economists separated domestic pressures from exogenous factors such as war and weather.

exogenous shock

A sudden export ban created an exogenous shock for food prices.

exogenous source

The lab traced the contamination to an exogenous source in the water supply.

endogenous and exogenous

The study compares endogenous motivation with exogenous rewards.

Synonyms and how they differ

external

External is the everyday word for outside; exogenous is more technical and often contrasts with endogenous.

outside

Outside is plain and general, but it cannot replace exogenous in technical phrases like exogenous shock.

extrinsic

Extrinsic often describes value or motivation coming from outside a person, while exogenous describes causes in systems or organisms.

Opposites

Word family

endogenous adjective

Means caused by or produced from within.

exogenously adverb

In a way that comes from outside a system.

Commonly confused: exogenous or endogenous?

Practice

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