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

An outgoing kid from the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, who adored his little sister, Burch never regained consciousness. — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

The latest unit retains the same first six forward ratios as the outgoing Carrera T’s manual transmission, but ditches its predecessor’s somewhat awkward and largely superfluous seventh gear. — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026

The outgoing groups typically included between 10 and 30 members who gathered annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

On the other, one of the largest internal security forces in Europe, deployed by the government of an unpopular and outgoing president. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 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