- present participle of retire.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of retiring
Explanation
If you are a retiring person, you avoid being at the center of attention. You can often be found in the library and other quiet places, and if someone compliments you, you're likely to blush and change the subject. If you call someone retiring, it isn't necessarily clear whether you mean it as a compliment or something closer to a put-down. Usually, the word is used to describe someone who is shy or modest to a fault. But it can also be used to suggest that someone isn't arrogant, which is usually a good thing. And, of course, retiring can also refer to someone who stepped down from their last job and doesn't intend to work anymore.
Vocabulary lists containing retiring
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"After retiring, I don't have much opportunity to hang out with others," the 75-year-old, whose son lives two hours away from her, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Kevin Mannix worked out of the San Francisco Police Department’s Taraval Station for 27 years before retiring, according to the association in June 2018.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
A “bond-tent strategy” involves gradually exposing your portfolio’s allocation to bonds in the years leading up to retirement, keeping a higher bond allocation early after retiring and gradually lowering that exposure later.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Kelce was part of Philadelphia's 2018 Super Bowl winning side and earned seven selections to the Pro Bowl - the annual NFL game featuring the league's top players - before retiring in 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Malcolm X also admired The Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, in his Congressman political role: “I’d think about retiring if the black man had ten like him in Washington. ”
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
