adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reticent
First recorded in 1825–35; from Latin reticent- (stem of reticēns ), present participle of reticēre “to be silent,” equivalent to re- “again, back” + -tic-, combining form of tacēre “to be silent” ( cf. tacit) + -ent- adjective suffix; see re-, -ent
Compare meaning
How does reticent compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Reticent means either quiet or restrained. If you're reticent about your feelings, you like to keep them to yourself, and you're probably quiet in rowdy groups where everyone is talking over each other. The original meaning of reticent describes someone who doesn’t like to talk. Be careful in your context, however. Reticent can refer to someone who is restrained and formal, but it can also refer to someone who doesn’t want to draw attention to herself or who prefers seclusion to other people. Don’t confuse reticent with reluctant, which means unwilling.
Vocabulary lists containing reticent
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 12, List 1
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Dracula
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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.
Manufacturers increasingly reported bottlenecks, while retailers grew concerned that consumers will be more reticent due to rising inflation, it said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
And increasingly, many young New Zealanders are making more permanent moves, reticent to come back to a country they feel no longer offers a prosperous future for them.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
Disney’s struggles with succession over the decades have become epic dramas filled with false starts, larger-than-life leaders reticent to go and allegations of hollow searches for a new CEO.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
But some companies already appear reticent, in part because they worry about the legal and financial risks they would be taking.
From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026
It was a chance for the reticent Ulbrickson to relax, to open up and confide in the Englishman, to joke about shell house events, to smoke a cigarette out of sight of the boys.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
