retiring

American  

[ri-tahyuhr-ing] / rɪˈtaɪər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. that retires.

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

   Synonyms:

   timid, bashful, diffident

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retiring British  

/ rɪˈtaɪərɪŋ /

adjective

1. shunning contact with others; shy; reserved

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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

After retiring at 16, she unretired at 18 and returned from her break with an entirely different philosophy.

From The Wall Street Journal

The number of people retiring in various industry sectors is lowering the available supply of labor.

From Barron's

I often talk about retiring, but my company is eager to retain me because of the 45 years of knowledge and experience I bring.

From MarketWatch

What about baby boomers, the youngest of whom are now 61 and retiring at the rate of some 10,000 per day?

From MarketWatch

I know I should have handled this better, and I’m close to retiring.

From MarketWatch