区别辨析inner、inside、interior、internal与inward

inner、inside、interior、internal与inward这些形容词均含“内部的、内在的”之意。

inner : 含义广泛，指事物中心或接近中心的部位，也可指内心隐密的活动。

Leading off the main hall is a series of small inner rooms.
从主客厅开始是一系列小的内室。
Few people ever managed to penetrate the director’s inner sanctum (= very private room).
很少有人进过经理的私人密室。
Sarah seemed to have a profound sense of inner peace.
萨拉内心好像非常平静。

inside : 多指处于某物内部或靠近内部，常可与inner换用，可引申指内幕的，秘密的。

“Is Anna in the garden?” “No, she’s inside (= in the house).”
“安娜在花园吗？”“不，她在屋里。”
What’s inside the box?
盒子里面是什么？
Luckily, no one was inside the building when it collapsed.
幸运的是，房子倒塌时里面没有人。
She couldn’t cope with the grief she felt inside.
她无法承受内心的悲伤。
Who can tell what goes on inside his head?
谁知道他脑袋里想的是什么？
He put the documents carefully in his inside pocket (= pocket on the inside of a jacket or coat).
他把文件小心翼翼地放进外套内层的口袋里。

inside information/knowledge
内部消息／内情
I’ll call up Clare and get the inside story (= a true report of the facts).
我将给克莱尔打电话了解内幕。

interior : 指某物的内部，尤指某物的内侧；也可指内地的或国内的。

The interior walls have patches of damp on them.
内墙上有片片湿斑。
The paintwork on the interior doors (= those not in the outside wall of a building) is in good condition.
室内门上的漆面保持完好。
France’s interior minister
法国内政部长

internal : 书面用词，医学上多用，指事物的内部，也可指国内的或内政的。

He sustained injuries to his arms, legs, and several internal organs.
他的手臂、腿和一些内脏都受了伤。
The bank conducted its own internal investigation into the robbery.
银行针对抢劫案进行了内部调查。
The government warned its neighbours not to interfere in its internal affairs.
该政府警告邻国不要干涉其内政。

inward : 指朝着中心或内部方向的，侧重方向而不是位置；也可指内心的隐密活动。

#词汇辨析