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Synonyms

retained

American  
[ri-teynd] / rɪˈteɪnd /

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

Etymology

Origin of retained

retain ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

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.

The independent directors have retained law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, which has brought on AlixPartners as an independent consultant, and there is no definitive timetable for the investigation.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Xi congratulated To Lam in January, when he successfully retained his job as secretary general of Vietnam's communist party.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

The device retained data for more than 50 hours at 700 degrees without needing to be refreshed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

But he retained ownership of his papers in Pittsburgh and Toledo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

But although he became the most respected scientist of his time, Boyle retained his retiring, modest nature and declined many honours.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Definitions 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.