outgoing

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

Synonyms of outgoing

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

Examples of outgoing in a Sentence

Outgoing mail goes in this box.

a salesman whose aggressively outgoing personality could sometimes be overbearing

Recent Examples on the Web

Brandon Hubrins, an administrator in Ellington Public Schools, has been tapped to succeed outgoing principal Pete Wininger at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026

On Monday, at least a dozen Black clergymen threw their support behind Florida state Senator Shevrin Jones, who is running for the District 24 seat held by outgoing Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026

Nate Coulter, the outgoing executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, has been interested in beautifying the vacant strip of land, which is near the Main Library. — Arkansas Online, 7 July 2026

ProPublica is continuing to report on the way immigration policy is impacting kids and is now focusing on outgoing high school seniors. — Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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