If you’re a chatty Kathy who enjoys deep conversations but hates small talk and group settings — you’re not an outcast, you’re just an otrovert.
That’s not a typo. It’s a real term.
Unlike introverts, who prefer solitude, and extroverts who thrive in group settings — otroverts are independent thinkers who would rather sit back and observe a group than join in.
They rarely ask others for advice. They’re creatures of habit. And the idea of working on a team rather than on their own makes them shudder — yet, they’re considerate and sensitive to other people’s feelings and are often viewed as warm, friendly, well-liked people.
Stemming from the Latin roots of “other” and “turn around,” the otrovert label was developed in 2025 by New York City-based psychiatrist Dr. Rami Kaminski, who first coined the term in his book “The Gift of Not Belonging: How Outsiders Thrive in a World of Joiners” after years of observing patients who seemingly shared a similar set of traits.
“You might be an otrovert if you can ‘work a room,’ but don’t necessarily enjoy it, or if you find yourself craving more one-on-one, meaningful conversations instead of group settings,” Rachel DeAlto, communication expert and author of “The Relatable Leader: Create a Culture of Connection told The Post. “It can also show up as feeling slightly out of place, even when you’re doing all the ‘right’ social things and people perceive you as confident.”
“Most of us exist somewhere in between, and how we appear socially doesn’t always match how we feel internally,” she further explained.
It’s a personality label smoothie, as otroverts can be social, but aren’t typically “joiners” and aren’t communal, meaning they’d prefer to grab a coffee with a friend than go to a book club.
“Much like a bluetooth device, the majority of humans automatically search for connection, pairing with others when possible. Otroverts are not wired for group affinity in the same way. The larger the group, the lonelier they feel,” The Otherness Institute said on its site.
Many who identify with this label have said they finally feel, as one Reddit user wrote in a thread that they “never related to anything harder than this ‘otrovert’ theory.”
Another chimed in, agreeing, “Otrovert fits me more than introvert. For the longest, I thought introvert; however, I don’t meet many introverted categories. But this otrovert thing sounds just like me.”
The otrovert label might not be a formally recognized personality type, as very few studies have been done on it, but DeAlto explained that “it resonates because so many people don’t feel fully captured by labels like introvert or extrovert.”
Considering personality types often overlap and can exist in gray areas, Kaminski points out that otroverts exist outside the “extrovert-introvert spectrum,” and instead are defined by a feeling of otherness, which is feeling strange, lonely and unwelcome in groups, per The Otherness Institute.
Kaminski developed a free online test to help you determine if you’re an otrovert but it’s important to keep in mind that communication style and comfort level can shift depending on one’s environment, the people they’re surrounded by and even their energy on any given day, according to DeAlto.
“At the end of the day, it’s less about the label and more about understanding what actually helps you feel connected and comfortable in your interactions,” she said.
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