retained

[ri-teynd]

adjective

1. not lost, destroyed, released, sold, or given away; kept.

   The vendor overvalued both the sold 1,790 acres and the retained 566 acres of Green Meadows.

2. kept in use or practice; continued or preserved.

   We are proud of the retained traditions of entrepreneurship of our ancestors, their respectful and careful attitude to land and craft.

3. (of something perceived or learned) remembered or kept in mind.

   They get taught it in basic training, but without constant practice, land navigation is not a retained skill for the average soldier.

4. engaged for service, often by payment of a preliminary fee.

   To apply for this opportunity in confidence, send your resume and remuneration details to the retained consultants, Kirk & Paulson Consulting Ltd., for an initial interview.

5. kept in check or held in place; held back.

   On completion of the dam, the retained water was diverted for irrigation via two canals.

6. Medicine/Medical.,  kept in the body, especially abnormally; not expelled or eliminated.

   Three weeks after delivery I was back in the hospital, seriously ill and having a D&C to remove a retained placenta.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of retain.

Other Word Forms

• unretained adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retained¹

retain ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Aldosterone causes sodium to be retained, which increases water retention and blood pressure.

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"It appears that when each concept retained in memory is characterized in terms of seven features -- as opposed to, say, five or eight -- the number of distinct objects held in memory is maximized."

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Although the bill evolved, it retained a mechanism to raise issues related to how ethnic studies is taught.

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It was not clear if he had retained an attorney.

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In recent years the band - who despite line-up changes have always retained a core of Roddy, Rod and drummer Colin Newton - revisited the record for a series of shows playing it in full.

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Related Words

• maintained www.thesaurus.com
• received 
• saved www.thesaurus.com