introvert

[noun, adjective in-truh-vurt; verb in-truh-vurt]

See more synonyms for introvert on Thesaurus.com

noun

a shy person.
Psychology. a person characterized by concern primarily with his or her own thoughts and feelings (opposed to extrovert).
Zoology. a part that is or can be introverted.

adjective

Psychology. marked by introversion.

verb (used with object)

to turn inward: to introvert one's anger.
Psychology. to direct (the mind, one's interest, etc.) partly to things within the self.
Anatomy, Zoology. to turn (a hollow, cylindrical structure) in on itself; invaginate.

Origin of introvert

First recorded in 1660–70; intro- + (in)vert

Related formsnon·in·tro·vert·ed, adjectivenon·in·tro·vert·ed·ly, adverbnon·in·tro·vert·ed·ness, nounun·in·tro·vert·ed, adjective

Can be confusedextrovert introvert

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for introverted

Contemporary Examples

Servis, a general contractor, was baffled by how introverted Stone acted.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree
M.L. Nestel
December 16, 2014
The real real life El Chapo was said to be “introverted and with a tendency to be needy.”
El Chapo on the Couch: Inside a Drug Lord's Therapy Sessions
Michael Daly
March 7, 2014
Greenbaum says Michael Hostetter, the most introverted mascot of the bunch, is also the most unpredictably exciting.
Hulu is the New Netflix: Why You Should Watch ‘Behind the Mask’
Anna Brand
October 30, 2013
The introverted leader, the lady heir apparent, the dubious plans for financial success—it all matches.
Why the Obama Administration Resembles Facebook
Daniel Gross
October 10, 2012
Gabourey Sidibe is most decidedly not the shy, introverted character she plays in Precious.
The 22 Best Oscar Moments
The Daily Beast Video
March 8, 2010

Historical Examples

I'd never talked with anyone from a Place that had been Introverted.
The Big Time
Fritz Reuter Leiber
Introverted upon his own heart, it was keen, unsparing, insidiously subtle.
The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains
Charles Egbert Craddock
She sank into a chair half laughing and yet with an introverted expressionrecueillement desprit, he thought to himself, bitterly.
Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 5, June 1905
Various
Surely, if the Maintainer had been Introverted before he jumped on the bar, we'd all have noticed the flashing blue telltale.
The Big Time
Fritz Reuter Leiber
The former correspond to my introverted and the latter to my extroverted type.
Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology
C. G. Jung

British Dictionary definitions for introverted

introvert

noun (ˈɪntrəˌvɜːt)

psychol a person prone to introversion

adjective (ˈɪntrəˌvɜːt)

Also: introverted characterized by introversion

verb (ˌɪntrəˈvɜːt)

(tr) pathol to turn (a hollow organ or part) inside out

Compare extrovert

Word Origin

C17: see intro-, invert

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for introverted

adj.

1781, "directed inward," past participle adjective from introvert. Psychological sense is from 1915.

introvert

v.

1650s, from Latin intro- "inward" (see intro-) + vertere "to turn" (see versus). The noun, "introverted person" (opposed to extrovert) is 1918, from German psychology, introduced there by C.G. Jung (1875-1961).

introverted in Medicine

introvert

(ĭn′trə-vûrt′, ĭn′trə-vûrt′)

To turn or direct inward.
To concentrate one's interests upon oneself.
To turn a tubular organ or part inward upon itself.

One whose thoughts and feelings are directed toward oneself.
An anatomical structure that is capable of being introverted.

introverted in Culture

introvert

[(in-truh-vurt)]

A term introduced by the psychologist Carl Jung to describe a person whose motives and actions are directed inward. Introverts tend to be preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings and minimize their contact with other people. (Compare extrovert.)

introvert

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Examples from the Web for introverted

Contemporary Examples

Servis, a general contractor, was baffled by how introverted Stone acted.

The real real life El Chapo was said to be “introverted and with a tendency to be needy.”

Greenbaum says Michael Hostetter, the most introverted mascot of the bunch, is also the most unpredictably exciting.

The introverted leader, the lady heir apparent, the dubious plans for financial success—it all matches.

Gabourey Sidibe is most decidedly not the shy, introverted character she plays in Precious.

Historical Examples

I'd never talked with anyone from a Place that had been Introverted.

Introverted upon his own heart, it was keen, unsparing, insidiously subtle.

She sank into a chair half laughing and yet with an introverted expressionrecueillement desprit, he thought to himself, bitterly.

Surely, if the Maintainer had been Introverted before he jumped on the bar, we'd all have noticed the flashing blue telltale.

The former correspond to my introverted and the latter to my extroverted type.

introvert

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for introverted

adj.

introvert

v.

introvert

introvert

Origin of introvert