memory retention

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The ability to keep information in your mind and recall it later, especially over a period of time.

   Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or 'an' and not usually in the plural. You can say 'good memory retention' or 'poor memory retention'.

   Patterns

   • memory retention of something
   • improve memory retention
   • memory retention rates

   Sleep plays a key role in memory retention, helping the brain store what you learned during the day.

   The study found that regular exercise improved memory retention in older adults.

   Teachers use repetition to boost students' memory retention of new vocabulary.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   The proportion of learned material that a person can remember after a certain time, often measured in experiments.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often used with words like 'high', 'low', or 'percentage of'.

   Patterns

   • high memory retention
   • low memory retention
   • memory retention test

   The experiment measured memory retention after one week and found it had dropped to 40 percent.

   Participants showed better memory retention for pictures than for spoken words.

   The software uses spaced repetition to maximize memory retention of facts.

Common combinations

improve memory retention

Taking notes by hand can improve memory retention compared with typing.

poor memory retention

Poor memory retention may be a sign of a sleep disorder.

memory retention rate

The memory retention rate was highest among students who reviewed the material daily.

boost memory retention

Certain herbs are marketed as ways to boost memory retention, but evidence is limited.

memory retention of information

The course focuses on memory retention of information through active recall.

Synonyms and how they differ

recall

Recall is the act of bringing something back to mind at a particular moment, while memory retention is the overall ability to keep information stored over time.

retention

Retention alone can refer to keeping many things (e.g., employee retention), so 'memory retention' is clearer when you mean information in the mind.

remembering

Remembering is the everyday process of recalling something; memory retention is more formal and often used in scientific or educational contexts.

Opposites

Word family

retain verb

To keep or continue to have something, including information in the mind.

retention noun

The act of keeping something or someone; often used for memory, employees, or heat.

retentive adjective

Having the ability to remember things easily; as in 'a retentive memory'.

Commonly confused: memory retention or memory recall?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “memory retention”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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