Meaning & use
external factors
Last updated
Meanings
nounpluralformal
Things outside a person, company, or situation that can affect what happens.
Grammar: Almost always used in the plural: external factors. The singular is an external factor.
Patterns
- external factors affect something
- due to external factors
- a range of external factors
The company's poor results were mainly due to external factors such as rising costs.
External factors like the weather can change demand for the product.
Researchers tried to separate internal and external factors.
nounpluraltechnical
Conditions outside a system or organism that influence its behavior or development.
Grammar: Used in science to talk about outside influences on a system, as opposed to internal ones.
Patterns
- external factors influence something
- respond to external factors
The cells respond to external factors such as temperature and light.
In ecology, external factors include food supply and predators.
Word forms
| singular | external factor |
|---|
Common combinations
- external factors affect something
- External factors affect how quickly the economy recovers.
- due to external factors
- The delay was due to external factors beyond our control.
- a range of external factors
- A range of external factors contributed to the decision.
- internal and external factors
- The report looks at both internal and external factors.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outside influences
- A more everyday phrase; external factors is more formal and common in reports and academic writing.
- external forces
- Often suggests stronger or more physical forces; external factors is broader and can include social or economic conditions.
Opposites
Commonly confused: external factors or externalities?
external factors vs externalities
In economics, externalities are side effects of production or consumption on third parties, not just any outside influence.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'External factors' is plural and takes a plural verb, so 'affected' is correct. The second option uses the singular without an article, the third mixes 'an' with a plural noun, and the fourth uses a singular verb with a plural subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “external factors”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.