extrovert

1 of 2

noun

ex·​tro·​vert ˈek-strə-ˌvərt 

variants or less commonly extravert

plural extroverts also extraverts

: a person whose personality is characterized by extroversion : a typically gregarious and unreserved person who enjoys and seeks out social interaction

Extroverts are more recognized because of their affable nature, while introverts struggle to break out of their personal space …

—Helen Wu

Note: The psychologist Carl Gustav Jung first introduced the terms extrovert, extroversion, introvert, and introversion in the early 1900s to describe personality types that focus a person's energy on either the inner or outer world. The terms extrovert and introvert have since become widely popularized, with extrovert often broadly used to mean "an outgoing, sociable, or talkative person."

… an extrovert who is hopelessly chatty …

—Rick Reilly

compare introvert entry 1 sense 1

extrovert

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly extravert

: extroverted

an extrovert nature

Beckett's father was extrovert and adored.

—Anthony Burgess

Did you know?

Jung and the Extrovert

Extrovert (sometimes spelled extravert) means basically "turned outward"—that is, toward things outside oneself. The word was coined by the eminent psychologist C. G. Jung in the early 20th century. The opposite personality type, in Jung's view, was the introvert. Extroverts seem to be favored by societies such as ours, even though introverts seem to be on average more mentally gifted. Psychologists have said that the only personality traits that can be identified in newborn infants are shyness and lack of shyness, which are fairly close to—but not really the same as—introversion and extroversion.

Synonyms

Noun

• backslapper
• glad-hander

Examples of extrovert in a Sentence

Noun

a natural extrovert, he mixes well in any social situation

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While extroverts often steal the spotlight at work, introverted leaders are quietly revolutionizing modern workplaces by demonstrating how thoughtful competence can outshine performative leadership any day of the week. —Cynthia Pong, Jd, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

For example, people may want introverts to be more outgoing or extroverts to be less energetic. —Joy Emeh, Health, 10 Sep. 2024

Adjective

Penny solves mysteries and murders stemming from the San Francisco morgue, aided by her over-confident extrovert sister, also named Penny, an attorney in the D.A.’s office. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 21 Nov. 2024

That may be why he was so drawn to Rudy, a larger-than-life extrovert who never met a stranger and never turned down a chance to start a conversation. —Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 22 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

back-formation from extroverted

Adjective

from attributive use of extrovert entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1918, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1920, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

extrovert

noun

ex·​tro·​vert

variants also extravert

ˈek-strə-ˌvərt 

1

: a person who is interested only or mostly in things outside the self

2

: a gregarious and unreserved person

extroversion

ˌek-strə-ˈvər-zhən

-shən

noun

extroverted

ˈek-strə-ˌvərt-əd

adjective

Medical Definition

extrovert

1 of 2 noun

variants also extravert

: a person whose personality is characterized by extroversion : a typically gregarious and unreserved person who enjoys and seeks out social interaction

Note: The psychologist C. G. Jung first introduced the terms extrovert, extroversion, introvert, and introversion in the early 1900s to describe personality types that focus a person's energy on either the inner or outer world. The terms extrovert and introvert have since become widely popularized with extrovert often broadly used to mean "an outgoing, sociable, or talkative person."

compare introvert

extrovert

2 of 2 adjective

ex·​tro·​vert

variants also extravert

ˈek-strə-ˌvərt 

: extroverted