outgoing

1 of 2

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

-ˌgȯ(-)iŋ

1

a

: going away : departing

an outgoing ship

b

: retiring or withdrawing from a place or position

the outgoing president

c

: directed to an intended recipient

outgoing mail

2

: openly friendly and responsive : extroverted

His outgoing personality made him popular at school.

outgoingness noun

outgoing

2 of 2

present participle of outgo entry 1

Synonyms of outgoing

Adjective

• social
• friendly
• hospitable
• extroverted
• gregarious
• spirited

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Adjective

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with outgoing festival director José Luis Rebordinos about his legacy and taking a political stance here. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026

There were also passionate tributes this evening to outgoing Festival director José Luis Rebordinos, who steps down after this year’s edition, his 17th at the helm. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026

Leaving the International Space Station will be bittersweet for its outgoing crew, who’ve been living aboard the orbital lab since February performing maintenance and upgrades and carrying out dozens of microgravity research experiments. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Last week, Annalena Baerbock gave her final address as the outgoing president of the United Nations General Assembly. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for outgoing

• blowing
• boing
• bowing
• crowing
• flowing
• glowing
• going
• growing
• hoeing
• knowing
• lowing
• rowing

Kids Definition

outgoing

adjective

out·​go·​ing ˈau̇t-ˌgō-iŋ 

1

a

: going out : departing

outgoing tide

b

: retiring from a position

the outgoing governor

2

: being at ease and friendly when dealing with others

an outgoing person