- 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.
Just 30% believe they will reach the $1 million milestone before retiring.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
After retiring from playing, Fontaine stayed in football.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Nike, in a press release announcing his departure in 2023, said he was retiring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
He’s retiring from his House seat this cycle because he has a young family and genuinely despises political life in Washington.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
She was two years past the retiring age, but in fact no animal had ever actually retired.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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.
