taciturn
Americanadjective
-
inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.
- Synonyms:
- quiet, reticent, uncommunicative, silent
-
dour, stern, and silent in expression and manner.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- taciturnity noun
- taciturnly adverb
- untaciturn adjective
- untaciturnly adverb
Etymology
Origin of taciturn
First recorded in 1765–75; from Latin taciturnus, “quiet, maintaining silence,” equivalent to tacit(us) “silent” ( tacit ) + -urnus adjective suffix of time
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.
In 1983, he slipped into the role of a taciturn Texas ranger waging war against an arms dealer in "Lone Wolf McQuade", which provided the template for the cult TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger".
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
The authorities say it was an accident, but Isaiah’s neighbor—a taciturn, tough-minded 37-year-old woman named Smilla—suspects foul play.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Curry was extraordinarily good on the pitch and spectacularly taciturn in the aftermath.
From BBC • Jul. 19, 2025
Seok “Serk” Kang, a taciturn professor at a Michigan university, accepts a year’s appointment at a college in a Japanese town close to Osaka in 1978.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2025
Finally he reached the place where Melquíades used to set up his tent and he found a taciturn Armenian who in Spanish was hawking a syrup to make oneself invisible.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
