introvertとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

From New Latin intrōvertere, from intro- (“within”) and vertere (“to turn”). Popularized as a psychological term by the German works of Carl Jung. By surface analysis, intro- +‎ -vert.

発音

Noun/Adjective

• (英国発音) IPA: /ˈɪn.tɹə.vɜːt/
• (米国発音) IPA: /ˈɪn.tɹə.vɝt/

Verb

• (英国発音) IPA: /ɪntɹəʊˈvəːt/
• (米国発音) IPA: /ɪntɹoʊˈvəɹt/
• 韻: -ɜː(ɹ)t

名詞

introvert (plural introverts)

1. (zoology) An organ or other body part that is or can be turned inside out, especially an anterior portion of some annelid worms capable of retraction.
   • 1883, E. Ray Lankester, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. XVI, p. 652, s.v. "Mollusca":

     Important distinctions which obtain amongst the various ‘introverts’ or intro- and e-versible tubes so frequently met with in animal bodies.

   • 1990, Deborah A. Coulombe, Seaside Naturalist, →ISBN, page 76:

     Peanut worms (phylum Sipunculida) are drab-colored bottom dwellers, most of which are less then four inches long. Their body is divided into two sections: the trunk and the introvert. The introvert, the narrow neck-like anterior section, is used as a probe.

   • 2006, Nematodes, Leeches, and Other Worms, →ISBN, page 38:

     When a peanut worm feeds, it extends and waves its introvert so that the mouth at the tip wanders across the seabed.

   • 2009, Lynn Marguli, Michael J Chapman, Kingdoms and Domains: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth, →ISBN:

     The introvert is everted by hydraulic pressure exerted by contraction of body muscles on the coelomic fluid.

2. (psychology) An introverted person: one who is considered more thoughtful than social, with a personality more inwardly than outwardly directed; one who often prefers to have time in non-social situations.
   • 1916, Constance Ellen Long trans. Carl Jung as Collected Papers on Analytical Psychology, p. 349:

     An Extravert can hardly conceive the necessity which compels the Introvert to conquer the world by means of a system.

   • 1918 April, Phyllis Blanchard, “A Psycho-Analytic Study of August Comte”, in American Journal of Psychology, page 163:

     In order to understand the marked contract between Comte's mental attitude during his early years and that of his later life, we must keep in mind Jung's hypothesis of the two psychological types, the introvert and extrovert,—the thinking type and the feeling type.

   • 1920 May 21, Challenge, page 44:

     All works of the imagination are conceived by men of the introvert type.

   • 1925, Charles Fox, Educational Psychology, page 254:

     The introvert abstracts from the object and deals with it by concepts concentrating upon the inner world of thought.

   • 2020 March 23, Ryan Prior, “The extrovert’s guide to social distancing”, in CNN‎:

     And while her introverted clients may be feeling less stressed, and sometimes even emboldened by social distancing, Blandino said both extroverts and introverts can leverage technology to weather the storm.

   • 2021 January 13, Paul Clifton, “Delivering a basis for rail changes”, in RAIL, issue 922, page 30:

     This softly spoken but fluent communicator describes himself as an introvert who prefers not to shout from the rooftops.

   • 2025 August 17, Sarah Avi, “Meet the “Otrovert,” A New Personality Type That May Describe You Better Than Anything”, in Free Jupiter‎:

     Dr. Kaminski’s theory developed over decades of observing clients who didn’t fully identify as either introvert or extrovert.

   • 2025 August 20, “Are you an otrovert? Why this personality type could be your greatest gift”, in The Guardian‎:

     So if introverts look inwards, and extroverts outwards, where the hell do otroverts look? Neither of the above.

3. (figuratively, proscribed) A reserved person.

使用する際の注意点

Psychologists tend to distinguish between introversion, which defines one's inherent social preferences and exists on a spectrum of behavior with ambiversion and extraversion, from shyness and other manifestations of social anxiety or trauma. Popular use tends to lump such behaviors together and sometimes pejoratively consider them withdrawn or antisocial.

反意語

• extrovert (popular), extravert (proper)

派生語

関連する語

• ambivert
• otrovert

形容詞

introvert (comparative more introvert, superlative most introvert)

1. Alternative form of introverted.
   • 1934 July, British Journal of Psychology, page 26:

     They were noticeably more introvert, schizoid and desurgent in temperament.

動詞

introvert (third-person singular simple present introverts, present participle introverting, simple past and past participle introverted)

1. To turn inwards.
   1. To think about internal or spiritual matters.
      • 1671, Abraham Woodhead trans. The Life of the Holy Mother Saint Teresa..., xxviii:

        […] the Soul being straight, introverted […] into itself, and easily conforming to God's will and time […]

      • 1822, William Hazlitt, “Prejudice”, in Table-talk, page 85:

        The less we look abroad, the more our ideas are introverted, and our habitual impressions... grow together into a kind of concrete substance.

   2. (zoology) To withdraw an organ or body part within itself or its base.
      • 1785, William Cowper, "The Task", Cant. IV, ll. 633 ff.:

        His awkward gait, his introverted toes,
        Bent knees, round shoulders, and dejected looks […]

派生語

参照

• “introvert, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1900.
• “introvert, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1900.