What is another word for outgoing?
social Outgoing is commonly used to describe a person who actively participates in socializing and seeks out opportunities to socialize. A close synonym is
extroverted.
Outgoing people are often described as
social,
sociable, or
gregarious. Such people are often
friendly and
talkative.
departing Outgoing is also used to describe things that are…
going out—in other words,
leaving or
departing. For example, when a new president is elected, you might refer to the one leaving office as the
outgoing president. (After departure from office is complete, the terms
former and
ex- are commonly used.) This sense of
outgoing is commonly used in the context of things like trains and mail. In these contexts, a close synonym is
outbound. A similar term is
outward-bound.
expenses In the U.K., the word
outgoings is used as another word for
expenses or
expenditures—money paid out or spent. This is more formally known as
disbursement or
outlay. Essentially, bills.
How is outgoing different from sociable?
Outgoing and sociable are pretty close synonyms. They can both be applied to people (or personalities), and they both suggest that someone thrives in social situations, which they often initiate. However, sociable can be used more broadly to describe situations that involve socializing, as in I had a sociable day—I went to two separate office parties and then happy hour.
What is the opposite (antonym) of outgoing?
The opposite of
outgoing in the sense of sociable and extroverted is
introverted. Such people are sometimes described as
reserved,
shy, or
bashful. Just because someone isn’t
outgoing doesn’t necessarily mean they are
unfriendly,
antisocial, or
standoffish. Being introverted often just means a person prefers more time to themself and is more comfortable socializing in situations with fewer people. Opposites of the sense
outgoing that means
leaving or
departing include
incoming and
inbound. For example,
outgoing mail is mail to be sent out;
incoming mail is mail that has been delivered.
