exogenous
adjective
ex·og·e·nous
ek-ˈsä-jə-nəs 
1
: produced by growth from superficial tissue
exogenous roots produced by leaves
2
a
: caused by factors (such as food or a traumatic factor) or an agent (such as a disease-producing organism) from outside the organism or system
exogenous obesity
exogenous psychic depression
exogenous market fluctuations
b
: introduced from or produced outside the organism or system
specifically
: not synthesized within the organism or system
exogenously
adverb
Examples of exogenous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Berryhill added that humans constantly juggle two competing forms of attention—endogenous, or top-down focus, and exogenous, or bottom-up distraction.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
This is welcome news for a system plagued by various exogenous shocks — including COVID and related frothy valuations, high interest rates and the 2022 market correction, the US electoral cycle, and tariff uncertainty — that have resulted in wide bid-ask spreads repressing deal activity.
—Control Risks, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Opioids, whether endogenous or those found in narcotics (called exogenous opioids), bind to opioid receptors located on the outer membrane of nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, and other organs.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
An exogenous shock like a war would raise demand and touch off a boom.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for exogenous
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Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
This is welcome news for a system plagued by various exogenous shocks — including COVID and related frothy valuations, high interest rates and the 2022 market correction, the US electoral cycle, and tariff uncertainty — that have resulted in wide bid-ask spreads repressing deal activity.
—Control Risks, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Opioids, whether endogenous or those found in narcotics (called exogenous opioids), bind to opioid receptors located on the outer membrane of nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, and other organs.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
An exogenous shock like a war would raise demand and touch off a boom.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for exogenous
Cite this Entry
“Exogenous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exogenous. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
exogenous
adjective
ex·og·e·nous
ek-ˈsäj-ə-nəs
variants
also exogenic
1
: growing from or on the outside
exogenous spores
2
: caused by factors (as food or a traumatic event) or an agent (as a disease-producing organism) from outside the organism or system
exogenous obesity
exogenous depression
3
: introduced from or produced outside the organism or system
specifically
: not synthesized within the organism or system compare endogenous
exogenously
adverb
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