Meaning & use
introvert
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who gets energy from time alone and finds long periods of socializing tiring.
Grammar: A normal countable noun: an introvert, two introverts.
Patterns
- a natural introvert
- an introvert at heart
As an introvert, Leila needs a quiet evening after a day of meetings.
My brother is an introvert, but he gives excellent speeches.
Many introverts prefer one close friend to a large crowd.
Word forms
| plural | introverts |
|---|
Common combinations
- a shy introvert
- He was a shy introvert who rarely spoke up in class.
- typical introvert
- A typical introvert recharges by reading at home.
- self-described introvert
- The self-described introvert surprised everyone by hosting the dinner.
- introvert and extrovert
- The team needs both an introvert and an extrovert to balance each other.
- introvert personality
- An introvert personality is not the same as being unfriendly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loner
- Loner suggests someone who chooses to spend most of their time without others, and can sound critical, while introvert describes how someone gains energy.
- recluse
- Recluse is much stronger, meaning someone who lives almost completely cut off from other people, whereas an introvert may be very sociable in small doses.
- wallflower
- Wallflower describes someone who stays on the edge at a social event, often from shyness, while an introvert may simply prefer quiet.
Opposites
Word family
- introverted adjective
- having the nature of an introvert
- introversion noun
- the tendency to focus on one's inner life and need time alone
- extrovert noun
- the opposite type, who gains energy from being with others
Commonly confused: introvert or shy?
introvert vs shy
Shy describes nervousness around others, while an introvert simply needs solitude to recharge and may feel perfectly confident.
Practice
Dana is a confident public speaker, yet she is an ____ who needs quiet time alone after every event.
Choose one answer.
An introvert gets energy from solitude, even if confident in public. An extrovert would be energized by the event, so it contradicts the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “introvert”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.