extroversion

IPA/ˌekstrəˈvɜːʃn/
IPA/ˌekstrəˈvɜːrʒn/

extroversion — noun

1. the tendency to be lively, confident, and interested in spending time with other

1.nounB2
Definition

the tendency to be lively, confident, and interested in spending time with others rather than being alone — a basic personality trait that describes how some people get their energy from social interaction

Example

Mei-Lin's extroversion made her the perfect person to lead the student welcome week.

extroversion + suitability for social role

The psychologist measured each person's level of extroversion using a standard survey.

measured level of extroversion / psychology domain

Common collocations
  • high extroversion
  • low extroversion
  • level of extroversion
  • measure of extroversion
  • extroversion score
Synonyms
  • sociability

    focuses more on enjoying company rather than the full personality dimension

  • outgoingness

    less formal, more common in everyday speech than in psychology writing

  • gregariousness

    more formal, emphasises a strong desire to be in groups

Antonyms
  • introversion

    the opposite Big Five personality trait, preference for quieter, solo activities

  • shyness

    a behaviour rather than a personality dimension; shy people can still be extroverted once comfortable

  • reserve

    formality or restraint in social settings, not a permanent trait

Usage Note

Commonly used in psychology and personality research. In academic writing the original spelling 'extraversion' (coined by Carl Jung) is still used, but 'extroversion' is more frequent in everyday English.

Common Mistakes

He has a strong extroversion.
He has a high level of extroversion.
extroversion is uncountable and not described as 'strong' the way a trait like 'willpower' might be.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Extroversion is a broad personality trait from psychology (one of the 'Big Five') describing how people gain energy from social interaction. Sociability focuses more narrowly on enjoying company and making friends — a person can be sociable in small groups yet score low on extroversion. Outgoingness is the everyday, informal equivalent, used to describe someone who is friendly and not shy in any social setting. Gregariousness adds a sense of active group-seeking: a gregarious person is not merely sociable but wants to be in crowds. For example: 'Her extroversion was clear from how she led every group project' versus 'His gregariousness meant he was happiest at large parties.'

extroversion ↗sociability ↗outgoingnessgregariousness

Common collocations

Nouns

  • level of extroversion
  • measure of extroversion
  • extroversion score
  • extroversion trait
  • extroversion scale

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a high degree of extroversion
  • low in extroversion
  • scores high on extroversion

Prepositions

  • with extroversion
  • in extroversion

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'extra' (outside) + 'vertere' (to turn), the term was coined in the early 1900s by psychologist Carl Jung as 'extraversion' to describe someone whose energy turns outward toward the social world. The spelling 'extroversion' became common later through association with 'introversion'.