reserved
Americanadjective
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kept or set apart for some particular use or purpose.
-
kept by special arrangement for some person.
a reserved seat.
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formal or self-restrained in manner and relationship; avoiding familiarity or intimacy with others.
a quiet, reserved man.
- Synonyms:
- composed, cold, distant, withdrawn, taciturn, constrained, reticent, controlled
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characterized by reserve, as the disposition, manner, etc..
reserved comments.
- Synonyms:
- composed, cold, distant, withdrawn, taciturn, constrained, reticent, controlled
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retaining the original color of a surface, especially when decorating portions of the surface with other colors.
adjective
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set aside for use by a particular person or people
this table is reserved
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cool or formal in manner; restrained, silent, or reticent
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destined; fated
reserved for great things
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referring to matters that are the responsibility of the national parliament rather than a devolved regional assembly
defence is a reserved issue
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reserved
A late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at reserve, -ed 2
Explanation
If you're reserved, you're the opposite of a loudmouth or a cut-up: you're polite, you have a lot of self-control, and you don't show your feelings. Reserved can also mean "set aside." If your seats at a concert are reserved, that means they're saved for you. If there aren't any reserved seats — if it's all general admission — you should get there early to get a good seat.
Vocabulary lists containing reserved
The Great Gatsby
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The Bill of Rights
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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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.
One star recognises high-quality cooking, two stars indicate excellent cooking worth a detour, while three stars are reserved for exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Mutual funds have historically charged much lower fees than private funds reserved for sophisticated investors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Members of Kenya’s Muthaiga Country Club voted to keep its century-old Members Bar strictly reserved for men.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The updated policy does not explicitly cite so-called "model welfare," the idea that AI systems might deserve types of protection usually reserved for living things, but Anthropic and its executives have openly entertained the concept.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Levinsons take my parents to special reserved seats in the front row.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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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.
