Meaning & use
extraterritorial
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounformallegal
Relating to rights or laws that apply outside a country's own borders, especially to its diplomats or citizens abroad.
Grammar: Used before a noun: extraterritorial rights, extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Patterns
- extraterritorial rights
- extraterritorial jurisdiction
- extraterritorial application of a law
Diplomats enjoy extraterritorial rights, so they cannot be prosecuted under local law for most offenses.
The court considered whether the new tax law had extraterritorial effect on companies based overseas.
The embassy compound is treated as extraterritorial territory by the host country.
adjectivebefore a nounformaltechnical
Existing or occurring outside the limits of a particular territory or area.
Grammar: Used before a noun to describe something located beyond a boundary.
Patterns
- extraterritorial waters
- extraterritorial region
The islands lie in extraterritorial waters, beyond the country's legal control.
Scientists set up an extraterritorial research station on the frozen continent.
Common combinations
- extraterritorial rights
- Diplomats are granted extraterritorial rights under international agreements.
- extraterritorial jurisdiction
- The country claimed extraterritorial jurisdiction over crimes committed by its soldiers abroad.
- extraterritorial application
- Businesses worry about the extraterritorial application of foreign laws.
- extraterritorial effect
- The ruling had an extraterritorial effect, reaching activities outside the nation's borders.
Synonyms and how they differ
- diplomatic
- Relates to diplomats and their official privileges; extraterritorial is broader, covering any legal reach beyond borders.
- offshore
- Means located in the sea or abroad, often for financial reasons; extraterritorial is specifically about legal boundaries and rights.
Opposites
Word family
- extraterritoriality noun
- The state or right of being exempt from local laws, especially for diplomats.
- extraterritorially adverb
- In a way that extends beyond a country's borders.
Commonly confused: extraterritorial or extra-terrestrial?
extraterritorial vs extra-terrestrial
Extra-terrestrial means from outside Earth (like aliens); extraterritorial means outside a country's legal territory.
Practice
Diplomats are protected by _____ rights, which mean they are not subject to local laws in the host country.
Choose one answer.
Extraterritorial fits because it describes legal rights outside the host country's jurisdiction. Territorial means relating to the country's own land, the opposite idea; extramarital and extraneous are unrelated words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “extraterritorial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.