extrovert

American  

[ek-struh-vurt, -stroh-] / ˈɛk strəˌvɜrt, -stroʊ- /

Also extravert

noun

extroverts plural

1. an outgoing, gregarious person who thrives in dynamic environments and seeks to maximize social engagement.

2. Psychology. a person characterized by extroversion; a person concerned primarily with the physical and social environment.

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adjective

1. having a disposition that is energized through social engagement and languishes or chafes in solitude, resulting in a personality that is gregarious, outgoing, and sociable.

2. Psychology. marked by extroversion.

verb (used with object)

1. Psychology. to direct (the mind, one's interest, etc.) outward or to things outside the self.

extrovert British  

/ ˈɛkstrəˌvɜːt /

noun

1. a person concerned more with external reality than inner feelings

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adjective

1. of or characterized by extroversion

   extrovert tendencies

extrovert Cultural  

1. A term introduced by the psychologist Carl Jung to describe a person whose motives and actions are directed outward. Extroverts are more prone to action than contemplation, make friends readily, adjust easily to social situations, and generally show warm interest in their surroundings. (Compare introvert.)

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Usage

What does extrovert mean? An extrovert is someone said to have a personality type that is social and outgoing. The term extrovert is often contrasted with the term introvert in the study, classification, and popular discussion of personality types. Extroverts enjoy being around other people and tend to focus on the outside world, while introverts are the opposite—they prefer solitude and tend to focus on their own thoughts. Someone who’s an extrovert can be described as extroverted or as displaying extroversion. Less commonly, the word can be spelled extravert. Example: Giovanni was the kind of extrovert who gave everyone a personalized greeting upon entering the room.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• extroverted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• extroverts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of extrovert

First recorded in 1665–75; extro- + Latin vertere “to turn”

Explanation

An extrovert is a friendly person who enjoys talking to and being with other people. Extroverts love parties, talking on the phone, and meeting new people. This noun has a specialized sense in psychology, and its opposite is introvert. Psychologists sometimes kick it old school and spell it extravert. As a psychological term, it was borrowed from German extravertiert, from the prefix extra-, "outside, beyond" plus Latin vertere, "to turn." Thanks, Carl Jung! Its opposite is introvert, which means shy or turned inward.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extrovert extroverts

I am an extrovert with a large circle of friends and a close family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

Keaton stuck a clothespin on the tip of her nose to make it smaller, and acted the part of an extrovert: big laugh, big hair and, when she stopped liking her hair, big hats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

Swiatek is the bookish introvert, Sabalenka is the Tiger-monikered extrovert.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025

My younger daughter, the extrovert in a family of introverts, planned her outfit with care, choosing to rep the "1989" era.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024

Captain Flume had entered his bed that night a buoyant extrovert and left it the next morning a brooding introvert, and Chief White Halfoat proudly regarded the new Captain Flume as his own creation.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

The results were the same for introverts and extroverts alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

As it has in the United States, TikTok became a platform for entrepreneurial extroverts to build businesses.

From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024

For extroverts, maybe it’s like an extended holiday season, full of fun and surprises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2024

Just like the experience of living in New York is different for introverts than it is for extroverts, the experience of watching Jenna in Season 14 is different as well.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2023

Both Reginald and Mary were quiet types, and Ella and I were extroverts.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey