retiring

[ri-tahyuhr-ing]

adjective

1. that retires.

2. withdrawing from contact with others; reserved; shy.

   Synonyms: timid, bashful, diffident

retiring

/ rɪˈtaɪərɪŋ /

adjective

1. shunning contact with others; shy; reserved

Other Word Forms

• retiringly adverb
• retiringness noun
• nonretiring adjective
• unretiring adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retiring¹

First recorded in 1540–50; retire + -ing ²

Example Sentences

In the following decade, the report warned, there’d be “a wave of retiring farmworkers unlike any other in the state’s modern history.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Still sold on the idea of retiring abroad?

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Plus: Thinking of retiring abroad but unsure about it?

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“This is something inside Congress, they’d better wake up, because they are going to get a lot of people retiring, and they’ve got to focus.”

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After retiring, Sir Terence had several "encore careers", his children said.

Read more on BBC