retiring

American

[ri-tahyuhr-ing] / rɪˈtaɪər ɪŋ /

adjective

that retires.
withdrawing from contact with others; reserved; shy.

Synonyms:

timid, bashful, diffident

retiring British

/ rɪˈtaɪərɪŋ /

adjective

shunning contact with others; shy; reserved

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

nonretiring adjective
retiringly adverb
retiringness noun
unretiring adjective

Etymology

Origin of retiring

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

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.

Chicago Bears Pro Bowl Drew Dalman shocked the NFL by retiring at age 27 with two years left on a lucrative contract.

From Los Angeles Times

He is retiring at the end of his term and has rejected proposed workarounds floated so far.

From Barron's

Dalman, who happened to study mechanical engineering at Stanford, has yet to articulate why he is retiring.

From Los Angeles Times

For some Americans retiring in low-cost areas with modest needs and no debt, it’s absolutely sufficient.

From MarketWatch

And it also doesn’t seem like food delivery apps are retiring anytime soon.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023