Gloss · Words · Reticent

reticent

ˈrɛtɪsəntadjective

What does reticent mean?

Holding back from saying what you think or feel.

Reticent, six ways

PlainHolding back from saying what you think or feel.
ADHDKeeps it in. Won’t say. Not unfriendly, just closed.
Gen ZNot sharing, even when asked twice.
MetaphorA letter written and kept in the drawer.
FormalInclined to keep one’s thoughts and feelings to oneself; reserved.
Like I’m 5A person who doesn’t like to say what they are thinking. That’s reticent.

How to pronounce reticent

RET-ih-sunt/ˈrɛtɪsənt/

Reticent in a sentence

He was reticent about his years abroad.
She’s reticent about her love life.
Officials were reticent about the cause of the fire.

Synonyms for reticent

reservedHolding back in general.
taciturnSaying little, always.
reluctantUnwilling to act; often misused for reticent.

Taciturn vs reticent: A taciturn person rarely talks. A reticent person is holding something back. The difference, in plain English.

Where reticent comes from

Latin. Reticere, to keep silent, from tacere, to be silent.

Good to know

Reticent means unwilling to speak about something, not unwilling to do it. For reluctance to act, reluctant.

Reticent meaning, on a Gloss card: Holding back from saying what you think or feel.

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Reticent on one card: what it means, how to say it, and a sentence. Keep it, or pin it for later.

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