What does extraverted mean?
Extraverted describes a person whose disposition is turned outward — someone who is outgoing, sociable, and typically energized by spending time with other people. An extraverted individual tends to seek company, speak readily in groups, and feel refreshed by social activity rather than drained by it. The adjective derives from the psychological term "extraversion," introduced by Carl Jung in the early twentieth century to name one of the two fundamental orientations of personality: outward toward people and events, or inward toward thoughts and feelings. Although it began as a technical term in analytical psychology, "extraverted" has entered everyday language as a natural way to characterize anyone with a lively, gregarious temperament. It is generally used descriptively and carries no strong judgment; being extraverted is simply one temperament among many, contrasted chiefly with its counterpart "introverted."
Outgoing and socially confident; energized by interaction with other people.
"Her extraverted personality made the long training days feel effortless."
Often contrasted directly with introverted in discussions of personality.
Relating to the personality type or trait, in Jungian theory, characterized by orientation toward the external world of people and objects rather than the inner world of ideas and feelings.
"In Jung's framework, the extraverted type finds meaning in engagement with external reality."
In this technical sense, "extraverted" is the spelling usually preferred over "extroverted."
Psychologist Carl Jung coined "extraversion" with an -a-, and purists still argue that spelling it "extra-" is the only technically correct form.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of extraverted
Extraverted comes from "extraversion," a term Carl Jung popularized in his work on personality types in the early twentieth century, formed from the Latin prefix extra- ("outside, beyond") combined with vertere ("to turn") — literally "turned outward." Jung actually borrowed and adapted earlier usage, and paired it deliberately with "introversion" ("turned inward"). The variant spelling "extroverted," using extro-, arose later by analogy with words like "extraordinary" but does not reflect a genuine Latin prefix; many psychologists therefore prefer the original extra- form.
Related word forms
How extraverted is actually used
The spellings "extraverted" and "extroverted" are variants of the same word; "extroverted" predominates in everyday writing, while "extraverted" is often favored in academic psychology. The word carries a broadly positive connotation but is descriptive rather than evaluative.
Easily confused with extraverted
"Extroverted" is the more common spelling in general use, while "extraverted" is preferred by some psychologists because it matches the Latin prefix extra- ("outside") used in the technical term extraversion; both mean the same thing.